A Suprising Family (Redux)
by kam6670
Summary: 5/8/2013. I wanted to comment on my story. It's an Tony/Gibbs story because the OC is Tony's sister. I didn't realize the confusion I was causing.
1. Chapter 1

Maggie pulled her dark blue Jeep Wrangler into the Lowe's parking lot next to a grey Ford 250 pickup and turned the engine off. She smiled at the familiar blue letters up on the sign. Most of the women she knew believed Lowe's to be the man store, but not Maggie. She was always finding something to fix or improve around her house. It was in her blood and she wouldn't change it for a thing. She loved going to Victoria's Secret for something sext and Ulta for bubble baths and lotions, and she loved a good mani/pedi, but knowing she could fix anything in her house on her own made her very happy.

Stepping out of the Jeep and pressing the alarm button, Maggie walked across the pavement to the sliding double doors, her handy list in her hand to tell her what she needed. The doors opened and she was greeted by the familiar scents of lumber and potting soils – along with whatever else made up that scent. On Maggie's list today was the master bathroom. While the house she had bought in the suburbs of Washington DC was a nice house with good bones, Maggie wanted to tear apart almost every room and re-do it. Today she was picking up the fixtures for the shower. She looked down the plumbing aisle and the only person there was another customer looking at copper piping. Just like back home at the Lowe's in Woburn, Maggie couldn't find an employee to help her on this busy Saturday morning. Sighing, Maggie walked over towards the Moen showerhead that she needed and tried to reach it. Even standing on her tip toes, she couldn't reach it.

"Friggin figures." She muttered to herself cursing her 5'3" height not helping her to reach the shelf. She moved her feet to step up on what she thought was the lower shelf to give her a little more height and leverage to reach what she wanted. Her fingers just touched the edge of the box and she stretched to get a better hold on the corner of the box.

Gibbs caught sight of the woman near him as he looked up from the length of copper pipe he was holding. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she stretched up to reach the box on the shelf. He watched as she stretched up to reach the shelf, her red hair pulled back into a pony tail which swung down over her shoulder as she reached up for the designer showerhead.

He smirked when he thought of people who paid for all the fancy add-ons in bathroom. You just need a working shower head in a normal tub, not a whirlpool bath or fancy jets to get the job done. He looked over at her again while her back was turned to him. She was on the shorter side, he guessed she would probably just come up above her shoulder, and her hair was the color red that couldn't be found in a salon, similar to what Shannon's had been. The woman had on a pair of work boots that had paint splatters on them, just as the well-worn jeans she was wearing that hugged her backside in just the right way. Realizing where his brain was leading his traitorous body, Gibbs looked back down at the pipe in his hand, he smirked; Ducky would have a field day with this scenario. But when things hadn't worked out with Samantha Ryan, he'd decided that enough was enough. He'd had his moment in the sun with love and 3 failed divorces were enough to tell him he wasn't meant to find anyone else and turned his attention back to the pipes and fittings in front of him.

"Just. A. Little. More." Maggie closed her eyes and reached as high as she could, but her footing slipped and she lost her balance.

Gibbs heard the sound of something falling and then the woman gasp. He looked up just as she was losing her balance. He dropped the copper pipe with a clang and rushed over to grab the falling woman under the arms just as she began to fall.

"You okay?" he asked as he turned her around to make sure she hadn't hurt herself.

Maggie looked up at her rescuer. She felt her cheeks turning red with embarrassment about falling, but now they were turning a deeper red as she looked up into the most amazing blue eyes she'd ever seen. When she didn't answer right away, the man's eyes widen a little in question and Maggie shook her head.

"You aren't okay?" he asked again.

Maggie shook her head again. "No, I'm fine." She covered. "I just feel stupid."

The man with the amazing eyes gave her a half smile that made her blush even harder.

"They do have people that can help you reach things." He told her.

Maggie smiled back at him. "Yeah, I know, but they never seem to be around."

Gibbs noticed her Boston accent right away in the way 'never' came out as 'nevah'

"Nope, they don't. Guess it's a good thing I was though." He smiled at her.

Maggie realized that the man was still holding on to one of her arms and looked down at his hand and Gibbs realized he was still holding on to the woman's arm and let go.

"Do you need me to get that for you?" Gibbs asked seeing that the woman hadn't managed to get the shower head she'd wanted.

"Yeah, sure that'd be great." Maggie stepped to move out of the way and stepped right into the man as he moved forward. Her face pressed up quickly into his chest and she noticed that the sweatshirt he had on smelled like sawdust and Maggie loved the smell of sawdust.

They both smiled and stepped back giving each other some room. Gibbs reached up and grabbed the box that the woman was trying to reach and brought it down to her.

"Here ya go." He smiled. He was caught momentarily by the sea green color of her eyes. He started to hand her the box and then pulled it back when she took it. "I'm Jethro by the way."

Maggie had her hand on the box and gave it a little tug. "Well thank you for saving my…butt Jethro." She smiled at him. "I'm Maggie. Maggie Sullivan."

"Well Maggie Sullivan." Gibbs said with a side smirk. "Are you going to need anything else from that shelf?"

God that smirk, Maggie said to herself as she turned her head to look away from him and back up at the shelf.

"No, I'm all set. I think that was all I needed from there." She told him; her inner voice was screaming to tell him she needed seventeen different things so that he wouldn't walk away.

"Okay then Maggie Sullivan." Gibbs answered as he nodded at her. He had hoped she'd say she needed him to reach for anything else, any reason to stand here a few more minutes. He'd noticed that when her blush faded she had freckles across the bridge of her nose and she smelled like she had on some kind of floral perfume.

"Thank you again, Jethro…" Maggie tipped her head when she said his name to see if he'd offer up his last name.

He smiled his crooked half smile and turned and went back to the pipe he'd dropped. Maggie watched as he bent over and noticed that the backside was almost as nice as the topside. Why was it men looked so damned good when they went grey? She realized she had been staring longer than she should have when Jethro turned and caught her staring. Quickly she turned around and walked off in the other direction.

Gibbs quirked an eyebrow when he looked up and saw Maggie had been staring at his backside. He repaid the favor by watching hers again as she walked away.

"Really." Maggie chastised herself for getting caught checking the man out. She was 45 years old, not some teenage girl drooling over the high school quarterback. She shook her head to get the images out of her head and proceeded to go pick up her tile order in that department.

Having finished getting the items he needed, Gibbs walked over to the self-check out aisle to pay for his purchases. Normally he hated this aisle, but there was only one cashier and there was a long line and an angry customer complaining loudly. He pressed the button on the screen and waited for the next instruction. He'd wished there were more cashiers and fewer computers to take care of this. No matter how hard McGee tried to bring him into this century, he'd rather not. Impatiently he tried to move the copper pipe past the scanner to get the price. He muttered a few choice words when the scanner wouldn't pick up the bar code.

"My turn to rescue you?"

Gibbs looked up to see Maggie standing there holding a box of tiles in front of her.

"Please." He smiled at her.

Maggie pushed the box of tiles with the shower head resting on top at Gibbs to hold while she took the pipe and turned it in front of the scanner. A tiny chirp emitted from the machine and showed the price on the screen. Next she did the same for the other items he was buying.

"Cash or credit?" she read the screen to him.

"Cash."

Maggie pressed the green button and stepped aside so that Gibbs could pay. She reached for the box and he shook his head. He shifted the box to his hip, reached into his pocket and pulled out the bill he needed and stuck it into the machine which promptly spit it back out. Maggie let out a quiet laugh and took the bill from him.

"Let me." She ran the bill over the side of the counter to flatten it out and inserted it into the slot. The register recognized the money and spit out the change.

"Thanks." Gibbs said as he pocketed the change. He held Maggie's box of tiles out so that she could scan her packages and waited while she completed paying for them.

"I can take them from here." She reached out for them but Gibbs held them out of her reach.

"The least I can do." He said and began walking with her to the double doors. "Where are you parked?"

"Over there, next to the grey pick up."

Maggie watched the smirk appear again.

"Next to me." He told her.

Gibbs put his purchase in the back of his truck and waited for Maggie to open the back of her Jeep Wrangler and noticed the Massachusetts plates.

"Long way from home to pick up some tiles." He commented as he placed the box in the back.

"Just moved here a few weeks ago." Maggie answered as she shut the back of the jeep. Gibbs couldn't help but look at where her shirt rode up from the back of her jeans as she reached up to close the door. He noticed a faint scar on her back and wondered what is was from.

"Work?" He asked trying to move his thoughts away from the fair skin.

"Yes and no."

"Well which is it? Yes or no?" Gibbs leaned against the back bumper of his truck.

Maggie couldn't help but be intrigued by this man leaning against his truck, arms folded across his chest. She did see that there was no wedding ring or tell-tale indentation that he'd just taken one off for a little while.

"Change of scenery." Maggie leaned against the side of her Jeep and dug her hands into her pockets.

"Work scenery?"

Maggie smiled. "I'm a teacher and a job opened up down here, so I decided to follow my son. He just got transferred to Quantico…"

"Marine or civilian?" Gibbs interrupted.

"Marine…he's working with EOD…Ex.."Maggie began to explain but Gibbs cut her off.

"Explosives huh?"

Maggie smiled at Gibbs' knowing what EOD was.

"Marine?" she smiled.

"Yes ma'am."

They stood smiling at each other for an awkward moment.

"He a Marine because of his dad?" Gibbs wanted to smack the back of his own head for asking that question.

Maggie shook her head. "No, his dad was a Boston cop."

"Was?"

"Was." Maggie began to answer when his cell phone went off.

"Yup..Gibbs."

Hmm, so that's his last name; Maggie said to herself as she watched him take a small notebook out of his back pocket and a pen to write down some information.

"I'm on my way." Gibbs ended his call and closed his phone. He tore out the sheet of paper he'd been writing on and handed it to Maggie. Scrawled in surprisingly need printing was his name and two phone numbers, one with a C for cell and one for H for home.

Maggie looked up at him questioningly from the paper.

"In case you need help with those tiles." Gibbs smiled.

Maggie reached out and grabbed the notebook and pen and gave him her phone numbers and handed the notepad back to him.

"In case you have any problems at the self check-out again."

They each got into their respective cars with Gibbs leaving first, but not before giving her a slight wave of his hand. Maggie felt the blush creep up her cheeks again. Good God what was wrong with her. She'd just picked up a guy at Lowes…she laughed as she put her car in gear….or had he picked her up?

Gibbs sat at his desk, the paper with Maggie's phone numbers written on it in his hand. He'd stuck it in his wallet when he got home from Lowe's the day before so he wouldn't lose it. He stared at it for a few minutes and wondered what he should do. She did give him her number. He did give her his numbers. Even the house number. That was a new one for him.

"Something bothering you boss?"

Gibbs looked over at McGee, whose fingers were posed over his keyboard.

"Nope." Gibbs shook his head and looked back down at the paper in his hands.

"That for the case boss?" DiNozzo chirped in from his desk. "Anything I can take care of?"

Gibbs folded the paper and put it back into his jacket pocket. He stood up and walked out of the bullpen to go down and see if Ducky had any news on the murder victim they'd just brought in.

"Take that as a no." Tony watched Gibbs walk over to the elevator. "Anyone else think Gibbs is distracted?"

Ziva looked up from her computer and watched Gibbs step into the elevator. "Looks right as pain to me."

"Rain…its right as rain." Tony corrected Ziva.

She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Potato /Potahto."

Gibbs stopped the elevator between floors and took the paper out again. He looked down at Maggie's phone numbers written in her neat script. He took out his phone, flipped it open and dialed the home number and then paused before pressing send. After a moment of indecision, he snapped the phone shut and turned the elevator back on. As it descended down to the basement, he reached back and smacked himself on the head. He needed a wakeup call and needed to decide whether to be alone or take a chance again. His head wanted the former but his gut…well his gut was all for the later.

Maggie stood up in the middle of her shower and stretched her back out. As much as she was going to love her new shower when it was done, right now she hated how it was making her body feel. Her lower back had a huge knot in it and her shoulders hurt from carrying the tiles up from the garage. She stepped out of the large walk in area and moved over to the cup of coffee she'd left on the window sill. She took a long sip of the hot bold liquid and closed her eyes as it warmed her body. She'd always loved her coffee extra light with lots of sugar when she was younger. Maggie smiled at the memory of her late husband James and how he would tease her when she'd get "Milk and sugar with a hint of coffee." Eventually over time, Maggie learned to like her coffee black, just like James had. While she'd experiment with different flavors and tastes, James always stuck with plain old black coffee.

Finishing her cup of coffee, Maggie walked down to the kitchen for a fresh cup before she went back to work on the shower. She put her favorite Marine Mom mug under the drip in her Keurig, popped a Pacific Island blend into the top and waited for the machine to key up to brew.

"Woof."

Maggie looked down at her roommate Freckles. She had rescued Freckles from the North Shore Animal Center. No one had wanted Freckles because she was a Pitt Bull mix; but Maggie took one look at that black and white face and knew that Freckles had a kind heart. Freckles woofed again as she sat looking up expectantly at Maggie.

"You need to go out?"

Freckles tail wagged faster on the floor and turned her head toward the kitchen door. Maggie reached down and scratched Freckles behind her crooked ear before pressing the brew button on the Keurig.

"Let's go." Maggie walked over to the door and opened it. Freckles bound out the door and into the back yard racing to her corner to find her favorite toy.

After grabbing her freshly brewed cup of coffee, Maggie walked back out onto the porch and sat down on the stairs. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper she'd been keeping there since the day before.

_Jethro Gibbs C:202-555-0183 H:202-555-5746_

Maggie had actually picked up the phone once or twice during the day to call and leave a message on his home phone. She figured if he worked during the day so she'd leave a message and see what happened next. But each time she did, she never pressed the send button on her phone. She'd felt like a teenage girl with her crushes phone number. Giddy to have it but scared to use it. Kind of like when she and James met in high school. And that is what stopped her this time. Yeah, she'd dated other men in the years since James had died, but none of them gave her the butterflies that she'd felt in her stomach when she dialed the number.

"Okay Freckles." Maggie stood up and called the dog back inside. "I have a shower head to get hooked up or there will be no showering for me."

It was late, well past 8pm and Gibbs still sat at his desk. He wasn't looking forward to take out again tonight alone and if he wanted to eat at all, he'd have to stop for milk for his cereal. He'd used the last up yesterday.

"Boss…you need anything else before I go?" McGee asked as he stood to leave.

"Yeah. A quick favor." Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out Maggie's phone numbers. "Can you see if you can find the street address for this number? It's a new number."

"Sure thing Boss." McGee said as Gibbs handed him the number. "I just need to access the data base."

Click Click Click

McGee typed in the phone number written next to the letter H on the paper. He noticed that the handwriting was distinctly feminine as the computer did it's magic to locate the address associated with the number.

"Is this about the case Boss?" McGee glanced slightly over his shoulder to where Gibbs was leaning behind him.

"Nope."

McGee knew not to push any further, this was obviously personal and the Boss never answered personal questions. How many years had they worked together before McGee, Tony and Ziva even knew Gibbs had a wife and daughter who had died. Hell, he knew more about Ziva's personal life than he knew about Gibbs'.

"Ah here you go." McGee wrote the address down on a post it note and handed it to Gibbs.

"Good work McGee." Gibbs patted McGee on the shoulder. "Go home, get some sleep."

Maggie stood on a step stool in her shower. One hand held the shower head, one held the wrench. She'd managed to install the shower head and now was making sure it was secure. Satisfied it wasn't going to fall off; she stepped down off the stool and pulled it out of the shower.

"Here goes nothing."

Maggie reached in and turned the shower faucet on. The water spurted out at first and then began to flow at a normal rate.

"Not bad Sullivan." Maggie congratulated herself.

And then the shower head began to shudder.

"What the…"

Maggie didn't get to finish the sentence. The shower head burst spraying her with water. Maggie sputtered and tried to block the water with one hand while the other blindly reached for the knob to turn the water off.

She cursed as she reached for the nearest dry towel and wiped her face off. She was just about to move the step stool back into the shower to check what she had done wrong when her doorbell rang.

"Seriously? Now what?"

Maggie slid a little as she walked down the hallway to the stairs, her jeans and sneakers sopping wet.

"Freck…stop barking." She called to the dog who was facing the front door.

Maggie pulled the curtain aside and was completely shocked at who was standing there. She smiled, turned the deadbolt and put her hand down to the dog.

"Freckles, stay."

Gibbs started to laugh when Maggie opened the door all the way.

"You know…Most people take their clothes off when they shower." He grinned at her. "Looks like you could use some help."

"You should have checked the washer first to make sure it fit." Gibbs wiped off his hands as he watched the water fall out of the shower head. He grinned at Maggie, he couldn't help it. When he was near her he just wanted to smile. He wanted to see her smile; the way it made her eyes crinkle.

"I thought I did. I was just about to recheck it when you rang the bell." Maggie had changed into a dry sweatshirt and jeans and was pulling her hair into a ponytail when she came back into the bathroom just in time to see Gibbs turning the water off. She was greeted by the sight of his backside again as he bent down to pick up the towel to wipe his hands. That was the second time he'd caught her checking his ass out. Great, she thought, and then she noticed his hands. He had amazing hands.

"Probably should have used a step ladder instead of a step stool." He said as he smiled down at her.

"What I probably should do is wonder how you found out where I live." She finished putting the ponytail in and put her hands on her hips. "Or should I let Freckles have at you?"

At the mention of her name, Freckles head snapped up, her crooked ears at attention. One on top of her head one on the side. While Maggie was in her room changing, Freckles stayed outside the bathroom, lying on the floor, head on her paws, keeping an eye on Gibbs. Maggie looked down at her normally suspicious dog that was now wagging her tail.

"Some guard dog you are." Maggie said in Freckles direction. "He could be a bad guy." She tipped her head in Gibbs direction.

"Ah, she's just a good judge of character." Gibb squatted down and patted his knee. Freckles got up and walked over to him. She was rewarded with a scratch behind her ears and Gibbs got a lick on the cheek. "What kind of dog is she?"

"She's part Pitt mix. But she's harmless."

"Pitts get a bad rep." Gibbs scratched under the dog's chin and looked up at Maggie. "So you named her Freckles? Kind of obvious."

"She came with the name." Maggie said trying to control her suddenly racing heart. When Jethro looked at her and smiled that lopsided smile he was giving her, her heart did a double time beat. "I wanted to change it to Fenway, but my son said Freckles fit. Now are you going to tell me how you found out where I live Jethro?"

Maggie, the widow of a police officer knew she should be worried, but seeing Jethro standing there in front of her dressed in khaki pants, a blue polo shirt that set off his eye color, and the white tee shirt underneath, put her at ease.

"Gibbs. You can just call me Gibbs." He smiled as he stood back up "I just used looked it up. On the computer. I couldn't find you in the phone book."

They stood less than a foot apart. Gibbs could smell Maggie's perfume. She must have put some on when she went to change. She smelled like oranges and flowers.

Maggie was close enough to Gibbs to tell that he didn't wear cologne; he just smelled clean. She bet he even used Ivory soap.

"Well Gibbs. Now that you've saved my shower again, can I offer you a cup of coffee? Or maybe a beer?" Maggie felt the words catch in her throat. This guy was still a stranger, what if Freckles good guy radar was off?

"A beer would be good. I, um, actually looked up your address to see if I could take you out for coffee." Gibbs told her.

If he was being honest with her, he wasn't sure if he was going to even ring her bell. He drove around the block twice. Once to see if she was home and then the second tim ate to work up the nerve to ring the bell. Walk into an interrogation with a murderer. No problem…ringing the bell of a complete stranger and ask her out to coffee. That for some reason was harder for him. He'd been on enough dates and things that may not count as dates, but there was something about Maggie that made it different for him.

Feeling the blush beginning to creep up her neck again, Maggie told Gibbs to follow her down to the kitchen. As they walked past the rooms upstairs, Gibbs noticed that there were 2 bedrooms on that floor and that only one had a bed in it. There weren't many furnishings, pictures or other homey items about.

"Still moving in?" He asked as they descended down the stairs into the front foyer.

He hadn't really looked at the first floor when he came in earlier. The first floor was a wide open space with the kitchen to the back of the area and a living room area to the side. Off of then kitchen, a pair of barn doors hung on the wall to close off the eating area. While French doors led from the living area out to the back porch. Gibbs couldn't see beyond the doors to see what the back yard looked like, not that he honestly cared. At that moment, his attention was on Maggie's hips and butt as she walked across the hard wood floors to the kitchen area.

"Beer or coffee?" Maggie asked as she walked around the granite island with three stools on the living room side; she nodded towards one of the stools for him to sit.

"Beer." Gibbs answered as he sat down. He looked around the empty space near the fireplace. "Movers not come yet?" His eyes were diverted from the empty area when Maggie bent over and he found his eyes drawn to her backside. Maggie pulled out two Corona's, took the bottle opener off the side of refrigerator and popped the caps off.

"I only brought some of my stuff with me from Boston. I sold most of the stuff with my old house and my son took some for his place. The rest, I'll just find when I need it." Maggie pulled out a stool at her kitchen island and sat next to Gibbs. She tapped her beer bottle against his and smiled "Thanks for saving me …. Again." She winked at him.

"To saving your shower." He echoed and watched as she took a long sip of her drink. A strand of hair had come loose from her ponytail and he had the urge to reach out and touch it, but Maggie beat him to it and tucked the errant strand behind her ear.

"So, how do you like DC so far? Different from Boston?"

Maggie shifted in her seat a little. They were both turned in their stools so that their knees touched. Neither of them moved away, so there they sat at the kitchen island, knees just touching each other; getting to know the other person.

"Boston was hard to leave. I lived there most of my life. But it was time for a change. Jamie…that's my son, he was being assigned to Quantico. When I came down to visit, I fell in love with the area. There was no reason to really stay in Boston. I have family members down in the area and once I found this place, the rest was a no brainer." Maggie told him. "And you? Are you originally from here?"

"Nope. A place called Stillwater Pennsylvania. Lived here in the DC area around 15 years give or take."

"Marine?" Maggie asked.

Gibbs smiled. "What gives it away?"

"The haircut and the fact you don't slouch."

"Don't slouch?"

"You sit up pretty straight. I like that in a man." Maggie heard the words out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Do you now? What else do you like?" Gibbs folded his arms on the counter top and leaned forward.

Maggie didn't flinch or move back. She copied Gibbs' posture and leaned in.

"I like a man who can fix a shower head but can't figure out how to use a self-scan at the checkout."

Jesus am I really flirting like this? Maggie thought as the two of them just looked at each other for a moment that seemed a lot longer than it actually was. Maggie's heart sped up at the thought that Gibbs was close enough to lean forward and kiss her.

Gibbs looked down at Maggie's mouth and then back up at her eyes. All he needed to do was just lean forward and he could kiss her. He started to move closer and then it happened. His damned cell phone rang.

Maggie's breath caught. He was going to kiss her. She couldn't stop looking into his eyes. She wanted nothing more than to have him close the gap and kiss her. The sound of his cell phone broke the spell.

"You going to answer that?" Maggie's voice came out in a whisper.

Gibbs continued to stare into Maggie's eyes, ignoring the annoying ring of his phone. After the 4th ring, it was obvious that whoever was calling wasn't going to give up. He didn't move away from Maggie as he grabbed his phone from its holder on his belt and flipped it open.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs. Why weren't you answering? I need you back here at the lab. I found something." Abby's voice sounded over the phone.

Maggie was close enough to hear a woman's voice and wondered if Gibbs was married or had a girlfriend. They hadn't gotten that far in their conversations yet.

"I'll be right there Abs." Gibbs clipped the phone shut and put it back in its holder. "I have to go."

Maggie nodded the question about who this Abs person was on the tip of her tongue.

"Work." Gibbs said as he stood up. Instinctively, he reached down and took Maggie's hands in his. "Rain check?"

"Sure." Maggie noticed how Gibbs hands dwarfed hers. They felt rough and soft at the same time.

"Next time dinner?" Gibbs asked. "I know a few places you may want to try out."

"Sounds good." Maggie kept her hand in one of his and led him back to the front door. She reluctantly let his hand go so that he could put his jacket back on.

Gibbs opened the door and turned back to Maggie. He put his hand on her shoulder, leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. His lips lingered there a minute and he moved back.

"Tomorrow night. I'll call you then." He said as he reached in his coat pocket for his car keys.

Maggie reached up and put her hand on his cheek and turned his face towards hers. Taking the moment in her hands, she stood up on her tip toes and kissed him softly on the lips. Gibbs was surprised at Maggie's actions. He put his hand on her hip and bent down to continue the kiss for another moment. When they pulled apart Maggie looked into Gibbs' eyes.

"Takes the pressure off an awkward first kiss tomorrow." She winked at him.

Gibbs grinned and walked out the door and down the stairs to his car. He opened the driver's side door and looked back up at Maggie still standing in the door. He smiled at her and got into his car.

Maggie watched him drive down the block. She closed her front door, locked it and leaned back against it. She knew her face was red and she fanned her hands at her face. "Oh yeah. I'm in trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

"This place is nice." Maggie looked around the restaurant as Gibbs held her chair out for her to sit down.

He had called her earlier in the day to make the plans. The Scotch Grille had always been a favorite of his. Whenever Mike Franks had been in town, the two of them had made sure to go there at least one time. This was a tradition that Gibbs carried on with Mike's daughter in law Layla and her daughter Amira. Now that they were both living in the DC area, he tried to take them there a couple of times a year and he would tell Amira all about her Grandfather. Well the stories that a little girl could hear.

"Yeah, it is." Gibbs said as he sat down across from Maggie.

The lighting in the restaurant was subdued with candles on each table. When he'd come here with Franks, they'd sat at the bar and when he was here with Layla and Amira they sat in one of the larger booths that gave a young child like Amira room to move around. But tonight he'd asked for a table with a little more privacy. They were seated near the back of the restaurant and due to it being a weeknight, there were few other patrons in the restaurant.

Due to the unseasonably warm January day – temperatures had been in the 50's the past few days – Maggie had decided to wear a long sleeved turquoise sweater that was warm enough to wear with a light jacket, grey pants and boots. When she asked Gibbs where they were going, he'd told her not to get too dressed up and Maggie could tell that Gibbs had a certain "look" that he didn't seem to vary from. Pants, polo, jacket and the ever present white tee shirt. She knew that the tee shirt was a military thing. Her son Jamie had never worn them until he joined the marines, now she knew he had dozens of them.

"Can I get you a drink while you check the menu?" the waiter asked as he handed each of them a menu.

Gibbs ordered a beer and Maggie ordered a white wine.

"So what looks good to you?" Maggie smiled and asked Gibbs.

On the short drive from Maggie's house to the restaurant, Gibbs told Maggie he had chosen this place to take her because it was one of his favorites.

"Can't go wrong with steak." He answered.

Maggie looked up to see Gibbs looking at her. The menu lay under his hands as he leaned forward to look at her. Maggie fidgeted with the corner of the menu. Gibbs was giving her the same lopsided grin he'd had in the truck when he'd picked her up. He was on time, right at 7:00 just like he'd said he'd be, he helped her on with her coat and put his arm out for her to place her arm through as they walked over to his truck in the driveway. He walked her around to the passenger side and held the door open for her while she climbed in. Gibbs closed the door, walked around the front of the truck, all the while looking at her. When he got into the truck, Maggie was looking down trying to put the seatbelt on, but kept fumbling with it.

"Here, let me. Sometimes it sticks." Gibbs leaned over and took the end from her and placed it in the lock.

And before she knew it, his hand tipped her chin up to him and he kissed her. He'd started out gentle at first and then moved his hand up from her chin to the side of her head, his fingers sliding into her hair. Maggie could taste mouthwash on his lips as he kissed her. She moved her hand up to rest on his chest and Gibbs ended the kiss. Maggie could hear her heart pounding in her ears and she was completely breathless. She opened her eyes; Gibbs' face was still inches from hers, his fingers moving down from the side of her head, down along her cheek and back to her chin.

"Pressure's off the second kiss now." He smiled and leaned back to start the truck.

Since that kiss, any time Gibbs looked at Maggie, she'd felt her tongue tie and the back of her neck start to turn red. Gibbs liked that he'd caught Maggie off guard; just like she had the night before and all day long he'd been thinking about her. It was nice to see the effect he could have on her.

Maggie closed her menu and leaned forward, crossing her arms as she leaned on them knowing full well the view Gibbs was getting of the v-neck of her sweater. She became a little more grounded watching his blue eyes glance down and then back up while he quietly cleared his throat.

"So, how was your day?" Maggie asked sweetly as the waiter placed a glass of wine in front of her and Gibbs' beer in front of him.

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders and made a dismissive face as his answer.

"That good huh?" Maggie took a sip of her wine. She had to admit that she'd have rather had a beer; she wasn't a true wine lover, but at least sipping wine would make it last longer and Gibbs wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"What about you? When do you start your new job?"

"I have to go in tomorrow and set up some meetings." she answered.

"Are you ready to order or do you need a few minutes?" The waiter appeared at the table again.

Gibbs ordered steak and Maggie ordered mahi mahi and the waiter left them alone again to get the chance to know each other.

"What kind of meetings?"

"I will be working with elementary aged special needs children, children on the Autistic spectrum. There is a new program at the Montgomery School in DC that tries to integrate Autistic children in main stream classes."

Gibbs wasn't totally surprised. Even though he resisted in asking McGee to do a background check on Maggie, he had pegged her as someone who had to be good with working with people. The fact that it was special needs children touched him.

"I've heard of that school. They do wonderful things with Autistic children. Is that what you did back in Boston?"

"I started out as a regular classroom teacher, teaching 3rd grade, but the opportunity came up to specialize in this field and once I started training I never looked back. This job opening up at the Montgomery just cemented my decision to move down here."

"It was that easy for you to just… up and leave?"Gibbs asked Maggie.

It was Maggie's turn to offer up a shrug as an answer.

"Jamie was down here, I don't really have any other family in Boston. And well, James wouldn't have wanted me to just stay in Boston because that is where he's buried. He'd have packed my bags for me and started the car."

"Not a great marriage?" Gibbs was hesitant about saying how many bad marriages he'd had and maybe if she'd had a bad marriage, she'd understand.

"No, great marriage actually;" Maggie paused to take a sip of wine. Talking about James on a first date was usually a bad sign. "We grew up in the same neighbor, went to school together up until college. He went to the police academy and I went to college and lived there. Connected again after college, fell in love and got married."

"He was a cop?"

"Yup, good old Southie cop. Third generation in his family."

"Southie? He was from South Boston?"

"Both of us were, he was born there, I moved there with my parents when I was 5."

"Line of duty?" Gibbs knew he was being blunt, but Maggie had been a cop's wife; she knew about being blunt.

"Yes." She nodded her head as she gazed down at her wine glass. "Ten years ago. Drug bust gone bad. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Gibbs knew how she must have felt. Not a day goes by when he doesn't think of Shannon and Kelly being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Maggie shook the cobwebs out of her head and turned the questions back to Gibbs.

"What about you? What's your story? Don't try to convince me that you are a confirmed bachelor."

The waiter appeared with their food and while they ate, Gibbs filled Maggie in on his three ex-wives and by the time dinner was over he'd told her about Shannon and Kelly. Maggie reached across the table and rested her hand on his.

"Guess we both know about losing the person who was the love of our life."

Gibbs gazed down at her hand and noticed she no longer wore her wedding ring. Maggie saw where he was looking and offered an explanation.

"I don't wear it because I'm trying to forget James, I can't forget him, and we have a son together. I took James' ring and mine and put them away. Maybe someday Jamie will want them for himself." Maggie gently squeezed Gibbs' hand which was now holding hers back. "Besides, I'm sure you have a collection yourself." She teased.

"No, no collection." He grinned back. "I think each ex got it in the divorce."

The waiter came back to the table and asked them if they wanted coffee. They both said yes. Neither one of them was ready for the night to be over but both unsure of what would happen next. Gibbs loved listening to Maggie talk. Her accent was classic Boston. Her "r's" came out as "ah" and she may not have realized the number of times she used the word "wicked" but he did and he found it endearing. They discovered they had a mutual like of baseball and Maggie had an encyclopedic mind for it. Not just the jocks of the moments, but the real games from the past. Her recall reminded him of someone but he was too wrapped up in listening to her that he couldn't place it.

"You moved to Boston when you were 5? Where were you before?" Gibbs asked.

"I was born in New York, but my parents divorced when I was 5 and my Mom moved back to Boston, that's where she was from. She reconnected with my stepfather and they married. He raised me as his own."

"They still alive?"

"No, Dad died of cancer about 5 years ago, Mom followed three years ago. How about you?"

"Dad is still alive and a pain in my ass most of the time." Gibbs kidded. "Mom died when I was young."

"No brothers or sisters?" Maggie asked as the waiter poured coffee in their cups.

"Nope. You?"

Maggie took a sip of her coffee.

"I have a half-brother. Younger than me. From my biological father's second marriage."

That was telling; Gibbs thought. She called him biological father, not just Father.

"Take it you're not close? You and your brother that is."

Maggie put her coffee cup down and thought the best way to answer that question. Sometimes people thought she was cruel when she spoke of her biological father. But it is what it is and there wasn't anything she could do.

"See Gibbs, it's like this. My biological father was always looking for the next big thing. He met my mother and thought he'd be happy with the white picket fence and all that. But he had champagne taste and ginger-ale pockets. After I was born he went to New York to find the opportunity to make his mark and make money. My mother followed him with me and well, long story short. He found his opportunity when he met a trust fund with blonde hair and blue eyes. I was five years old, and suddenly my father says that he loves me, but he won't be around. My mother didn't cry, she just packed us up and off we went. "

"Sounds cruel. You were only five and all." In the back of Gibbs' mind, wheels started to turn.

"It is what it is. I can't blame my step-mother. She was actually nice to me. Never missed my birthday or Christmas. Even made sure I got to know my brother."

"Was your Father around when you spent time with your brother?"

"Not really. And I had a huge chip on my shoulder about my brother being the favorite son and all."

"Did it affect your relationship with your brother?"

"No. I really felt bad for my brother. Especially when his mother died. He was only 8, and his father didn't know what to do with him. So my brother was shipped off to boarding school and summer camps while he went from the next wife to the next big thing and so on."

Gibbs felt his gut begin to turn and it had nothing to do with the steak or asparagus he'd eaten. Why did Maggie's story sound so familiar?

"So, your brother. Where is he now? You said you had family in the area." Gibbs fished and started preying he was not going to hear what came next.

"He is. He works for the Navy, NCIS. Have you heard of them?"

"You could say that." Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge.

"You work for them?" Maggie was surprised. "Then you must know my brother Tony."

Gibbs thought this couldn't be happening.

Getting out of her car in her driveway, Maggie juggled her book bag, purse and takeout. It had been a long couple of days with meetings with parents and teachers about the children she'd be dealing with. For the most part, her mind was on the meetings, but if she had to be completely honest, she'd been thinking about Gibbs too. They'd gone out and had a good time three nights ago. She thought he'd had a good time too. But he hadn't called or texted. Nada, nothing, not a word. Every time she'd checked her phone there were messages from her son or her brother, but not Gibbs. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he wasn't really that interested. And she had a rule; she would not be the one to call him. She may be a modern take care of herself kind of girl, but the ball was in Gibbs' court, if there was to be a next move it had to come from him.

A chorus of barks told Maggie that Freckles desperately needed to go out.

"One sec Freck."

Maggie put all of her packages on the kitchen island and unlocked the back door. She had barely opened it and Freckles bolted out the door and into the yard. Maggie watched her dog for a few seconds and then took her phone out. Still nothing from Gibbs, but there was another text from her brother.

"Avoid much?" Tony had texted her.

She supposed that she had been doing just that. She thought about calling him earlier to ask about Gibbs, but another of her rules was that she kept her private life private. She never introduced any guy she was dating to her son or told Tony about them until there was anything to tell. Tony had a great relationship with her late husband James. It was James who convinced him to become a cop and each time he transferred (from Peoria to Philadelphia and finally Baltimore) James made phone calls and helped to pave the way, even when Maggie told him to let Tony figure things out on his own.

She tapped her iPhone to contacts and tapped on Tony's speed dial number.

"Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"Why do you say you are very special? It makes you sound…well…" Maggie teased her brother.

"More than a little special?" She could almost hear Tony grinning on the phone. "Finally decided to stop avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding Tony; I've had a really busy week." Maggie answered as she took the sushi out of the bag and put it in the refrigerator. "I had meetings and some things to do around here. I asked you to come over."

Tony made a shuddering noise. "You know I don't do manual labor."

"Yeah I know." Maggie let the dog back in and gave her some water. "Senior gave you a power sander and you still don't know which end to plug in."

"I do too know how to use it. And besides, that beast of yours doesn't exactly like me."

"Freckles like you fine." Maggie reached down to scratch behind the dog's ear. "It's you who doesn't like her."

"Dog doesn't like men. You even said that yourself. Didn't she bite some guy you were dating?"

"She's got a great sense of whose nice and who's not." Maggie thought back to the night Gibbs just showed up at the door. And that thought led her to think that she was talking to Tony who was at work and made her want to ask about Gibbs. But she didn't, she obviously had judged Gibbs wrong and he wasn't interested.

"You there Mags?"

"No, sorry Tony, what did you say?" she shook the thoughts of Gibbs out of her head.

"I said, do you want to get together tomorrow night? My treat…"

"Oh wait, you're treating huh, no way I can turn that offer down."

"I'll pick you up at 7."

Gibbs had overheard part of Tony's phone conversation when he'd passed Tony's desk. Tony was on the phone with Maggie. Gibbs sat down at his desk and tried to overhear what Tony was saying. Not that it was hard; Tony was being loud enough as if he wanted someone to ask who he was talking to.

"I'll see you then Mags." Tony said as he hung up.

"New woman?" Ziva asked from her desk. Like Gibbs and McGee, they'd heard most of the conversation and new that Tony had been on the phone with a woman with whom he was going out with tomorrow night.

"No." Tony moved his chair back from his desk and prepared to drop one of the bombs he'd kept a secret. "I'm taking my sister out to dinner tomorrow night."

Tony looked from Ziva to McGee to Gibbs to judge their reaction. Ziva and McGee looked surprised, McGee's mouth actually hung open; Gibbs just looked up and said nothing.

"Sister as in one of the Nuns Abby bowls with?" McGee questioned skeptically.

"You said you do not have a sister." Ziva added.

Tony leaned back in his chair, folded his hands behind his head and looked up at the skylight.

"Ah, one of my many secrets." He grinned and paused for dramatic effect. "But yes, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Jr. does have an older half-sister."

"From which parent?" McGee asked.

"Why have you never said anything?" Ziva asked at the same time.

Tony put his hands up "One at a time children, one at a time."

McGee nodded to Ziva to go first.

"Why have you never told us of this older half-sister?"

"Maggie, her name is Maggie." Tony said.

Ziva shook her head. "Why have you never told us about Maggie?"

"Maggie is a private person and I respect her privacy."

Gibbs wondered if Tony would respect Maggie's privacy if he'd know that he and Maggie had gone out on a date and shared a couple of kisses. Amazing kisses Gibbs reminded himself.

"From which parent?" McGee asked his question.

"Her full name is Margaret Elizabeth DiNozzo Sullivan. Does that help?"

"So you share a father then." Ziva nodded her head. She'd had a half sibling from her father; she understood that sometimes those ties could be somewhat confusing.

"How come we've never met her before?" McGee began. "Like when you had the plague."

Gibbs had wondered why he'd never heard of Maggie from then either. Maggie seemed like she would have been the type of person who'd have dropped everything to be there for her family.

"Because I had the PLAGUE McNosey." Tony shot at McGee. "I didn't want her to drop everything and come take care of me, but she didn't listen, she came down and spent that first week with me."

This was a surprise to Gibbs. Wouldn't Tony have mentioned him or any of the others when she was there?

"I called you a bunch of times when you were sick, so did Kate. Neither of us talked to a woman when we called." McGee questioned.

"You called my cell phone and I kept it with me. Maggie only got the house phone. I don't give that number out freely."

"So is she down here visiting?" Ziva wanted to know more about this mysterious sister.

"No, she just moved to the area, Alexandria to be exact." Tony looked from Ziva to McGee before he dropped the next comment. "Her son is stationed at Quantico."

Ziva shook her head and put her hands up in front of her.

"Hold on Tony. You have a half-sister and a nephew that you have never talked about? I find this all hard to sip."

"Swallow, it's hard to swallow Ziva." Tony corrected. "And I have mentioned Jamie, that's my nephew. I just never said 'my nephew Jamie.'"

"You have mentioned going out on the town with Jamie a couple of times." McGee remembered.

Tony pointed over at McGee "Aha..See Ziva, McGee remembers. Thank you McGee."

"I just assumed that Jamie was one of your frat brothers."

"No, he's a Lance Corporal in the Marine barracks at Quantico. Lance Corporal James Michael Sullivan."

"So your sister is married?" Ziva noticed the different last name.

"No, widowed unfortunately. Maggie's husband was a cop in Boston. He was killed in a drug bust gone bad."

Gibbs half listened while Tony filled in Ziva and McGee on things he already knew about Maggie. Things she'd told him at dinner the other night. He didn't know how many times he'd picked up the phone to call her and hung up. He wasn't sure what to do. He liked Maggie and wanted to get to know her better but she was DiNozzo's sister and that was a form of Rule #12 – Never dates a co-worker. Okay, technically Maggie wasn't a co-worker, but she was the sister of a co-worker. On the other hand, DiNozzo did say that she was a private person and didn't talk to him much about her personal life.

"Boss, you'd like Maggie." Tony's comment brought Gibbs out of his thoughts.

"Is that so DiNozzo?" Gibbs said as he stood up and began to collect his wallet and coat to head out for the night.

"Yeah, she's a red head and she loves to fix things."

Gibbs smirked as he turned his desk light off. "Go home people. It's Friday night, have a good weekend."

"You too Boss." McGee replied.

"That's weird." Tony said as he watched Gibbs step into the elevator.

"What is weird? You mastered weird tonight Tony." Ziva said as she put her coat on.

"Gibbs leaving before 9 on a Friday night? Hmm, I wonder." Tony grabbed his car keys and joined Ziva and McGee in walking to the elevator.

"Wonder what?" McGee let Ziva step into the elevator first.

"Wonder if Doc Ryan is back in town. Gibbs has seemed a little different this week."

Maggie moved the ladder over to the other side of the garage to make some space for her table. Seamus O'Bannon may have been her step father, but he raised her and instilled the love of fixing things in her. He'd come home after his shift and there would be some new treasure he'd have found. A table, a bookcase, even a row boat one time; if it was fixable, Seamus would bring it out to the garage, strip the paint off it and bring it back to life with wood glue, nails, a new coat of paint, whatever it needed. One of Maggie's prized possessions was an old wooden jewelry box that Seamus' mother had brought over from Ireland. Seamus refinished it and gave it to Maggie when she was 16. The story was Seamus's father made for Seamus' mother as an engagement present. They couldn't afford a ring at the time so the small wooden jewelry box was his promise to her that one day it would be filled with all that he could give her.

Maggie loved spending time out in the garage with Seamus bringing old things back to life. The things that meant more to her came from the heart not from the store. She hoped that she'd been able to pass that on to her own son. But before she did that, she had to organize her workspace. Freckles stretched out by the closed garage door on her dog bed, happily snoring away. Maggie pulled up several smaller boxes and started organizing their contents on the work bench.

"Ah, here you are." Maggie exclaimed when she'd found her iPod. She checked the battery level and saw that there was enough battery power in it to get through setting the work bench up. She put the ear buds in her ears and queued up the song list. Pink's song "Try" started playing and Maggie danced a little bit as she set out to work.

Gibbs rang the doorbell and looked inside. He knew Maggie was home because her car was in the driveway and the lights were on in the house. When no one answered he walked back down the stairs and up the driveway. Maybe she was in the yard with Freckles. When Gibbs walked around the back of the house he stopped short in surprise. The two times he'd been at her house he'd never looked in the back yard. At the far edge of the yard was what could only be called a small barn. It easily rose up 1 and one half stories and had a loft window in the top and a pair of barn doors that slid open to the side. On either side of the front barn doors there was a window. Light came from the windows and Gibbs saw Maggie walk….no…it looked like she was dancing…by. He walked over to the barn and saw that on the side there was a door and it was slightly open. He gently moved the door open a little wider. Freckles lifted her head from the dog bed and wagged her tail. Gibbs motioned her to stay quiet and stay in her dog bed and turned his attention back to Maggie.

Whatever she was listening to on her pod thingy was making her dance and whatever that song was, Gibbs was thankful for. He was thoroughly enjoying watching her hips sway to the beat of the song. Yeah, he grinned, he needed to find out what that song was.

Maggie's back was to him so she didn't see him leaning against the door frame, eyes travelling over the length of her body as she moved. He looked at the way her sweat pants hung low on her hips and when she lifted her arms up to hang a tool on the peg board, her lower back was exposed. He liked the way her waist curved in and then flared out curve out to her hips and then back down to her legs. Gibbs was so engrossed with appreciating Maggie's back side he didn't pay attention to what she was doing. Maggie had stepped up on a turned over paint bucket to reach up to a shelf. She was putting several smaller glass jars on the shelf when she lost her footing. Gibbs snapped out of his fog and ran across the room to grab her just before she fell.

Maggie let out a scream as Gibbs scooped her up in his arms. The jars that she was putting on the shelf fell and shattered on the floor.

"What the.."Maggie realized that she was in Gibbs' arms. "What are you doing here?" Maggie yelped.

"I guess I'm making a habit of rescuing you from dangerous shelves." He smiled at her as he still held on to her.

When he put her down, Maggie nervously tucked the hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her ponytail and adjusted her shirt. She watched as Gibbs grabbed the nearest broom and begin to sweep up the broken glass.

"Stay." He commanded Freckles when she tried to chase the broom.

Maggie brought the trash bin over and a piece of cardboard to help sweep the glass up and into the trash. She wasn't sure what to say to Gibbs. She hadn't heard from him since he kissed her goodnight at the door the other night and wondered if he'd said anything to Tony. No, that couldn't be it; Tony most definitely would have said something. She squatted down while Gibbs brushed the broken glass up into the cardboard.

"Be careful. Some of those are big." Gibbs said referring to the glass.

Maggie just nodded her head. Gibbs knew Maggie wanted to know what was going on, he'd kissed her goodnight at the door; but that kiss wasn't anything like the one he'd given  
her in the car. She probably thought he'd changed his mind about her. But that wasn't it. He was trying to figure this all out. This was not familiar territory for him.

Gibbs' head snapped up when he heard Maggie let out a string of curses. He propped the broom up against the bench and stepped over to her.

"What happened?"

Maggie's back was to him but when she turned to face him, her hand was bleeding.

"There must have been a piece on the work table I didn't see and I put my hand on it." She explained as she cradled her hand, palm up.

"We need to get a better look at it."

Gibbs guided her by the arm out of the barn, across the backyard and into the kitchen.

"First Aid Kit?"

Maggie motioned over to the sink. Gibbs took her by the wrist and led her to the sink.

"I can do this Gibbs."

Gibbs ignored Maggie's protests and positioned her in front of the sink and stood behind her. She was pressed up against the sink in the front and Gibbs was pressed behind her. Their height difference made it easy for him to see over her and turn on the sink faucet. When the water warmed up, he ran her hand under it. She let out a quick gasp at the sting. Gibbs moved her hand out of the water and blotted at it gently with a paper towel.

"Oww."

"There must be a piece in there still." Gibbs poked gently at the cut.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife. Maggie tried to step out from between Gibbs and the sink, but he used his hip to keep her in front of him.

"You have to be kidding. You're going to use a knife to get the glass out? I have tweezers in the first aid kid."

"Don't you trust me?" Gibbs' voice was right next to her ear. "Turn around."

Maggie turned slowly around. Gibbs hadn't stepped back when she did this so her hip brushed up against him and his eyes briefly closed. Maggie swallowed slowly and hoped that she'd just felt his badge in his pocket. Gibbs put his hand on Maggie's hip and moved her to the side, away from the sink and then lifted her up to sit on the counter.

"Flash light?"

"In this drawer." Maggie indicated the one that was now behind her knees where she sat on the counter.

Gibbs' eyebrow arched up when Maggie moved her knees apart so she could open the drawer. He smiled when she began to blush.

"Here" Her voice came out softly as she handed him the flash light.

He clicked it on and moved her hand closer using the light to get a better look.

"Hold the light here." He said giving her the flash light.

Taking an alcohol wipe out of the first aid kit, he wiped off the tip of his knife and blew on it so the alcohol wouldn't sting. Then very gently he picked up Maggie's hand again and brought it up closer to his face and placed the tip of the knife at the cut to ease the piece of glass out of the cut.

Maggie closed her eyes and held her breath while Gibbs used the knife to ease out the glass. She barely felt him moving the sharp tip of the knife into her skin.

"You can breathe now." Gibbs told Maggie as he wiped off her palm with cotton square and put a band aid on the cut. When he finished, he placed a soft kiss on her palm. He let go of her hand and put his hands on either side of her legs on the counter and looked at Maggie. Their eyes locked, neither one saying anything.

Gibbs closed his eyes and took a breath before he began to talk.

"I have these rules that I go by."

Maggie nodded her head.

"One of them is to not date a co-worker."

Again, Maggie nodded.

"And I'm Tony's boss."

"Yeah, you are." Maggie began to understand.

She reached out with her unbandage hand and touched his cheek.

"But I keep relationships to myself. Unless there is something to tell, I don't. And if there is something to tell, then we 'll cross that bridge at that time."

Gibbs liked the feel of Maggie's soft fingers touching his face then moving back to the side of his head. He tipped his head and kissed her. Gently at first, then when he felt her tongue touch his lips, he moved his hands up her legs and pulled her to him. Maggie let out a gasp when he pulled her knees back to either side of his hips; she knew now it wasn't his badge she'd felt.

Gibbs broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Maggie's. He ran his hands back and forth slowly from her shoulder blades back down the outsides of her thighs and back up.

"This is going to be tricky." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's going to be tricky." Maggie said as she ran her hands across Gibbs' shoulders and down his arms. "But there is no other way."

Gibbs nodded. If Tony knew about them seeing each other it would be difficult at work to say the least. But as long as both he and Maggie kept work – his work – and their private life private then it should be okay.

"I'm not saying we have to sneak around." Gibbs added.

"Sneaking around could be kind of fun." Maggie teased. "But I understand. The less Tony knows, the better off we'll all be."

Gibbs smiled at Maggie and leaned in to kiss her again. Hands explored while lips and tongues tasted. They pulled back from each other realizing they had to slow down a bit.

"I don't know about you, but I could use a drink." Maggie cleared her throat.

"Me too." Gibbs moved back from the counter and helped Maggie down. "Maybe a cold shower too."

"That could be dangerous in this house." Maggie winked at Gibbs as she took two beers from the refrigerator and walked over to the living room. Gibbs followed.

They sat down on an overstuffed couch, which must be new because it wasn't in the house the last time he was here.

"New?" he patted the cushion on the couch.

Maggie handed him his beer as he sat down beside her on the couch, one arm on the cushion behind her. She watched as he took a long drink of his beer.

"No. I saw it on Craig's List and bought it yesterday."

"Craig's List?" Gibbs asked slightly confused.

"People advertise things they are selling on a website. I actually heard about this couch from one of the teacher's at my school." Maggie patted the back of the couch. "I like it, it's comfy. Good for reading a book or the newspaper."

Gibbs looked around the room. Besides the couch, there were curtains and shades on the windows, and on the fireplace mantle she had a few pictures of Jamie, her parents and one of James and Jamie.

"What else you looking for?" Gibbs wondered. "I'm pretty handy with tools and building things." He noticed there was no television in the room.

"I'm really looking for a nice roll top desk. One that I can refinish the way I want. Maybe another chair or two. A coffee table." Maggie gave him a general list. "I have some things coming down from Boston next week. Stuff that I didn't sell with …" Maggie got distracted by Gibbs leaning and trailing kisses down the side of her neck. "Keep that up Marine and we'll end up christening this couch."

"Could be nice." He answered between kisses.

"Mm mm…would be." She sighed.

Gibbs leaned back and took another sip of his beer. He saw the pictures up on the mantle.

"None of Tony or your Dad." He noticed.

"Tony's picture needs a new frame; the only other one I have is upstairs in my room. It's of me and Tony when we were kids and I don't have any of Senior."

"Senior? You call him that too?"

Maggie gave Gibbs a confused look.

"Tony usually refers to your father as Senior and he calls Tony Junior."

"You've met Senior?"

Gibbs nodded slowly. "A few times."

"How'd that go?"

Gibbs tipped his head and smirked. "Well I wouldn't say we're going fishing any time soon."

Maggie sipped her beer and nodded. Gibbs noticed she'd gotten quiet. He traced his fingers back and forth on the back of her neck.

"Hey." He said softly to get her attention.

Maggie pulled at the label on the beer bottle. "Well you obviously know what Senior is like then."

"You never call him Dad or your Father."

"No, I don't." Maggie shook her head. "That's because my step-father is who I consider my father. Senior is just Senior. Nothing more. I suppose that sounds awful."

"Nope." Gibbs tipped back the last of his beer. He didn't like the way their father treated Tony, he can't imagine he was any better with Maggie. But Gibbs was wrong…he was worse.

"See." Maggie pulled her feet up underneath her legs and turned more to face Gibbs. "When Senior left my mother, he never looked back. She got no child support or alimony or anything. I don't think I even heard from him until Tony was born.

Gibbs pulled Maggie's legs out and rested them across his lap. He put the empty beer bottle on the floor and left one arm on the couch cushion behind Maggie, while the other hand rested on her knees.

"How many years was that?" he asked.

"He and my mother divorced when I was 5 and Tony was born 3 years later. And I think that I only heard from him was at Mary's urging."

Gibbs' eyebrow rose up. "Mary was Tony's mother." Maggie explained. Gibbs realized that he didn't know Tony's mother's name. Just Senior.

"Did you spend time with Tony then?"

"Sometimes. They lived on Long Island and they would never come out to South Boston. So on weekends, when Tony's mom would ask for me to come out so my Uncle Vincenzo.."

"The one who was a butcher right?"

"Tony mentioned him?"

Gibbs nodded.

"Well Uncle Vincenzo never liked what Senior had done, leaving my mother and me, and he kept in touch with my mother, he was my Godfather…sorry I'm rambling…but Uncle Vincenzo would take the train to Boston and pick me up to bring me back to Long Island for the weekend. Friday nights until Sunday night."

"Did you see Senior?"

Maggie shook her head. "Nope, I just stayed at the house with Tony and his nanny. Don't get me wrong, Mary was nice to me. She would make sure I got birthday presents and Christmas presents and all that, she was who she was. She loved going to the movies."

"So that is where Tony gets it from."

"Yeah, when he was 6 or 7 I think, it was before she got sick, I was around 14, she had us get all dressed up to attend a movie premiere in the city." Maggie smiled at the memory. "I don't remember the movie but I remember she took me to get my hair done and bought me a beautiful dress. She even let me wear these pearls of hers that I loved. Then it all changed."

"She got sick."

"She did. By that time even my mother had come to like her too. I think Mom felt bad for her. She'd figured out that Senior was good at acting like he'd had money, but he always backed the wrong horse. When she got sick, Senior just shut down. All he thought about was how her dying was going to affect him, not the fact that his 8 year old son was losing the only person who was there for him."

"You were there too."

Maggie finished the rest of her beer and nodded.

"When Tony got shipped off to Rhode Island Military Academy I was furious. Tony wasn't even 10 and he was sent away. How could he do that? Then Senior had the nerve to call my parents and ask if he could have what Mary had left me."

"The pearls?"

"Yes, the pearls. It was a set, a necklace and bracelet. Senior hit a money flow problem and needed some cash. He argued that I wasn't her blood and they belonged in the family."

"Couldn't have gone over well." Gibbs commented.

"No, no it didn't. Let's just say I never knew my Mom could throw a right hook like she did."

Gibbs tipped his head back and laughed.

"After that, I had no contact with Senior. When I was old enough to drive down to Tony's school I did almost any free time that I could. When Senior abandoned Tony there for the holidays, I'd sweet talk the headmaster to let me take my brother back to Boston so he'd be around family. Tony really loved being part of that. My father taught him all about basketball. Always took him to a Celtics game. They bonded over sports and police work."

"Isn't that why Tony was disowned? For becoming a cop?"

"That's what he likes to say, but you can't be disowned if there is nothing to disown from. His mother's family made sure that there was money for Tony's education. They didn't like that he majored in Phys. Ed at Ohio State; they thought he could have done better. But no matter what Tony did, I told him I'd support his choices. Sometimes they can be cringe worthy but I kept my promise."

"And you haven't seen or spoken to Senior in that long?"

Maggie shook her head slowly. "Senior never came to my wedding, my son's christening…he sent nice cards and checks that I never chanced cashing. But what sealed it for me..he never even acknowledged when James died. I know he knew about it because Tony told me he told Senior all about it."

Gibbs didn't say anything. Not acknowledging his son in laws death was worse than having his father show up with a date to Kelly and Shannon's funeral.

Tony pulled up to Maggie's new house and parked in front. Getting out of the car he looked at the house. He had always liked the house she and James had in Boston. Any time he'd been there the house was filled with friends. Neighbors sitting in the back yard passing time. Jamie's friends shooting hoops in the driveway. That house screamed welcome. That house was what Tony would call a home. Not that there wasn't anything wrong with Maggie's new house. Tony had checked it out for her before she came down from Boston to look at it. It had everything she wanted. Nice front yard, driveway on the side, porch that ran the length of the front of the house. There was even a mini barn in the back that she could use as a workshop.

He grinned at the thought of Maggie in her workshop. She was so the perfect woman for Gibbs. Loves to build and repair things, she was smart, stubborn and a red head.

"Maybe I should make sure they never meet." Tony said out loud to himself. "That would be scary."

"Still talking to yourself?" Maggie asked from the front door.

"Just saying you made a good pick Mags." Tony walked up the front stairs and across the porch to stop in front of his sister. "Glad you're finally here." He grabbed her in a bear hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Nice to see you too Tony. Come on in."

"Cujo around?" Tony looked inside the front door to see if Freckles was lying in wait.

"Tony, she's not a mean dog. She just senses your fear of her."

Tony tugged on the sleeve of the leather jacket he was wearing and cautiously followed Maggie into the living room.

"Fear is good. Keeps you sharp." Tony stepped into the living room when he didn't see the dog in there.

"Well don't worry, she's out in the kitchen with a big bone and she won't bother you."

"She kill the animal before she brought the bones in?"

Maggie laughed at her brother. "Tony, Pet Smart only sells rawhide, not fresh kill. Come on let's go."

Tony drove them to one of his favorite pizza restaurants in Old Town.

"You'll love it here, I promise." Tony held the door open for Maggie as they walked in.

And Tony was right. The place screamed Little Italy from the red and white checked table clothes, to the faux-frescos on the walls to the candles dripping down the wine bottles on the tables.

"Reminds me of…" Maggie began. And Tony finished her sentence "Gino's Place in Baltimore."

"That place was wicked."

Tony smiled at his sister as they sat down at a table. "Can take the girl out of Boston but can't take Boston out of the girl."

"Amen little brother." She winked at him as she slipped her jacket off and put it on the free chair at the table.

"You need to try the Atomica." Tony kissed his fingers. "It's amazing."

"Okay, I'll trust you."

The waitress came to the table, and after Tony flirted a little, he placed the order and added a couple of beers.

"So, how's the new job?"

"It's good. There are a lot younger kids in this program, but I meet them on Monday and I'm really looking forward to it." Maggie explained. "I miss being around the kids. It was hard to leave my kids in Boston."

"Why didn't you wait until June? It would have been easier."

Maggie shrugged her shoulders. She had only told Tony part of the reason she left mid-year.

"I heard about this job and it's a smaller school that specializes in children with Autism. Besides Jamie is here, you are here, so why not finally live closer to my baby brother?"

The beers arrived along with a basket of fresh rolls. Tony flirted more with the waitress until she left the table.

"She's a little young for you don't you think Tony?"

"A little harmless flirting never hurt anyone." He replied. "And speaking of flirting, how did Joe take you leaving Boston?"

Joe Antonelli was the man she had been dating back in Boston. Tony met him the last time he came to visit 6 months earlier.

"We broke up four months ago." Maggie told him.

"He seemed like a nice guy. Someone you could have settled down with."

Maggie didn't answer and took a long sip of her beer.

"Something you want to tell me Mags?" Tony worried about the look on Maggie's face. He knew she began fiddling with the napkin in front of her that she was hiding something.

"Mags…really come on. You're kind of scaring me here. Is there something I need to know?" Tony reached his hand out and stopped Maggie from shredding more of the paper napkin.

"Joe got to be suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?"

"Anything. If he saw me talking to anyone who was male he'd give me the third degree and accuse me of flirting with the guy."

"Okay, so he's jealous. Come on Mags; you're a beautiful woman."

Maggie made a face at Tony. "So that gives him the right to check my mail when I'm not home, drive by the house or call in the middle of the night if I accidentally left a light on. No Tony, jealousy isn't a reason, he became a stalker."

"Did he ever do anything to hurt you?"

"He tried…ONCE…"Maggie emphasized the word once. "My father taught me how to defend myself and the first time he grabbed me was the last time he grabbed me. I broke up with him that night and had a restraining order put on him."

"Helps to have friends in the police department. James' friends must have given Joe a hard time."

"Well I never had a problem after that." Maggie lied, Joe had continued to find ways to harass her, but Tony didn't need to know that now. "Then the job listing came up, Jamie got transferred, and the rest fell into place."

The pizza arrived and Maggie put a slice on each of their plates. The pizza lived up to its name of Atomic It had tomatoes, fontina cheese, olives, mozzarella and tons of hot pepper flakes. One slice alone had Maggie finishing her beer and asking for another.

"Speaking of Jamie." Maggie began when her mouth finally cooled down. "Would you like to tell me why you took him out on a DC bar crawl that ended at a strip club?"

Tony's head snapped up, his mouth hung open, a slice of pizza hung in front of his mouth, his face plastered with a "Who Me?" look.

Gibbs looked up from his workbench in the basement. He reached over and picked up his watch off the table. It was almost 11:00 now. He knew Maggie was going out to dinner with Tony at 7 and wondered if she was home yet. He stood up, stretched out the kinks in his back and picked up his phone. He punched out the numbers of Maggie's cell phone and hoped she was home and not out still with Tony.

"Bet you're hoping I'm at home answering this." Maggie said when she answered.

"Would have made for an interesting conversation if you were still out to dinner." Gibbs sat back down on the wooden stool. "How did it go?"

"Got home a few minutes ago. It was actually really nice to spend time with Tony, just the two of us."

"Are you washing dishes?" Gibbs could hear the sound of water running in the background.

"Nope, filling the tub."

"Bubble bath?"

Maggie laughed. "Yes, I'm a girl. Girls like bubble baths. I can like hammers, saws, baseball, and football and take a bubble bath. I'm guessing you're not a fan of them."

"Nope, not bubble or regular. I'm a shower guy."

"Not even if you had company?" Maggie teased as she tested the temperature of the water and adjusted the taps.

"You asking for company?" Gibbs had a mental image of Maggie in the tub.

"I don't think you're the coconut mango bubbles kind of guy."

"I could be if you wanted." Gibbs offered.

Maggie thought for a second. She wondered if he would come over if she asked.

"I don't know Gibbs, I've been looking forward to this bath all week." She teased. "I'm not sure if I want to share."

Gibbs laughed at her shyness. Then again, would he really go over if the bubbles were all fruity and girly? Hell yeah he thought; naked Maggie in a tub? He'd run every stop sign and red light between their houses.

"Okay then, I'll pick you up at 7 in the morning."

"Tomorrow morning? Do we have plans?" Maggie wondered.

"We do. And since I'm not coming over tonight, you'd better be ready right when I get there."

"Where are we going?"

"Dress warm. Seven sharp." Gibbs told her and ended the call. If he'd of stayed on a moment longer, he would have ran up the stairs to get his keys.

"Where are you taking me at 7 in the morning that I need to be dressed this warm for?" Maggie asked when she got into Gibbs' truck.

Gibbs was standing at her front door at exactly 7 in the morning dressed in jeans, work boots, a Carhart jacket with a blue hoody underneath. In each hand was a take-out cup of coffee. He leaned in to greet her, gave her a kiss and handed her one of the coffees. He gave what she was wearing the once over to make sure she'd be warm enough, reached behind her and pulled the front door shut.

"Man of few words this morning huh?" she followed him down the stairs. Gibbs simply looked over his shoulder and smiled at her.

"Do I even get a hint?" Maggie asked Gibbs as he backed down the driveway.

"Going fishing."

"Okay, fishing on a January Sunday morning." Maggie took a sip of her coffee, nice and hot and black, just how she liked it. "Okay, I can see that."

Gibbs hadn't been sure if his idea would work. Not all women liked to fish, never mind on a cold January morning, but his gut told him to go for it.

"Fish much?" He asked.

"Haven't been in a few years. My parents had a place up in New Hampshire and my dad would take me to a pond to fish."

"Well I hope you're good with live bait." Gibbs nodded down to one of the coolers at Maggie's feet. "One is lunch, one is bait."

"Better not get them confused." She smiled.

It took them two hours to get out to the pond. They fished until all the bait was gone and for their efforts they took home 3 good sized fish to have for dinner. Maggie caught one and Gibbs caught two. If they didn't meet a certain size, Maggie and Gibbs agreed to release the fish back into the water.

By 6pm, the fish had been cleaned and gutted by Gibbs and Maggie was cooking them. While Gibbs took Freckles out for a walk, Maggie wondered what was going to happen next. With the fish in the oven, dishes on the kitchen island, cold beer in the fridge, Maggie ran up to her bedroom to make it more presentable just in case it needed to be seen by someone other than herself. After a quick trip to the bathroom to drag a brush through her hair and make sure she still didn't smell fishy, Maggie went back downstairs.

"Good Girl." Maggie heard Gibbs in the kitchen with Freckles. He was squatting down next to the dog that was lying on her back while Gibbs scratched her tummy.

"Such an easy mark." Maggie teased Gibbs as he stood back up. "Now that she knows you'll scratch her belly, she'll never leave you alone."

Gibbs took a sip of his beer and pulled Maggie into him. He leaned down and kissed her.

"Jealous? Maybe you need your tummy rubbed?"

Maggie's tummy wasn't what suddenly felt in need of rubbing. She'd been sitting and standing and next to Gibbs all day. She'd look up from bating the hook with a worm and he'd be staring at her. The intensity of his stare gave her butterflies, goose bumps and a near orgasm one time. All he'd have to do is brush up against her or touch her with his hand and she'd shiver. Never mind the time he pinned her against the tree and kissed her until she thought her knees would give out.

"Maybe." She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him back. "But right now I have fish to get out of the oven."

Gibbs didn't let her move away, his hand held her tight against his body, his hand moved down from her waist to her backside and back up. His eyes held hers in his gaze as he bent down to kiss her again. He captured her top lip first and then her bottom, sucking on it gently. Maggie had to grab on to his sweatshirt and grip it tight to keep her knees from giving out as he ran his tongue across her lips looking for entrance. Maggie gave it to him and was rewarded with the taste of beer on his tongue. A soft moan escaped from her throat as Gibbs kissed Maggie thoroughly. When he ended the kiss and lifted his head he looked down at Maggie. Her eyes were still closed and she was trying to catch her breath.

"Fish is going to burn." He reminded her.

Maggie blinked her eyes and moved away from Gibbs. She grabbed oven mitts from the counter and bent over to take the fish out of the oven. How the hell was she going to think of food after that kiss?

Freckles sat on the floor looking up at the two humans sitting at the kitchen island. She wondered what was wrong with these people. Freckles' human would take a bite and then push the food around her plate. The other human, the one who gave amazing belly rubs was close to shoveling the food in his mouth. And my human says I'm a greedy eater. Freckles watched the two of them and finally got up and walked over to her bed, walked in circles around it three or four times before curling up and falling asleep on it.

"Not going to finish that?" Gibbs pointed at the un-eaten fish on Maggie's plate. Before she could answer, Gibbs reached his fork over and stole the last piece of Maggie's fish.

"No, I guess I'm done." She shook her head and smiled at him.

She took her plate to the sink, rinsed it off and put it in the dishwasher. Gibbs grabbed his plate, did the same and handed it to Maggie to put in the dishwasher. He grabbed two more beers from the fridge and followed her into the living room.

"You were quiet during dinner." He said as they sat down on the couch.

"Well that kiss you gave me before we ate, remember that?"

Gibbs gave her his lopsided smirk. "Yeah."

"It kind of kissed the conversation right out of me."

Gibbs took her beer and placed it with his on the floor; he pulled her on to his lap and brought his mouth to her ear. "Let's see what I can do with this kiss."


	3. Chapter 3

Before Maggie knew what was happening, she was straddling Gibbs' lap on the couch. Their mouths exploring, tongues tasting, and Gibbs' fingers moving along her sides. His hands moved to her hips and pulled her down against him. Maggie let out a gasp and Gibbs groan slightly as he pushed up to meet her.

"Tell me to stop." His voice was ragged as he whispered in her ear.

Maggie shook her head. "No."

"Tell me to leave now." He told her as his lips travelled down the side of her neck.

"No." Maggie whispered and brought her hands from his chest up to the sides of his face. She captured his lips in a kiss, not letting him take control this time. She was rewarded with his hands grabbing her hips again and pulling her against him. Maggie knew if he kept doing that, what she wanted to happen upstairs in her bedroom would happen right there on the couch.

Gibbs moved his head back and looked at Maggie. Her lips were swollen from the kisses, her cheeks flushed and her breathing was as heavy as his.

"Tell me what you want." He said, his fingers moving from her hips up under the material of her shirt tracing gently along her lower back.

"I want you." She leaned in and kissed him gently.

"Upstairs." She kissed him again.

"Now." She kissed him one more time and reluctantly moved off his lap as he smiled at her. She held out her hand to him and led him from the living room. Gibbs only delayed them long enough to make sure the front door was locked and followed Maggie up the stairs to her bedroom.

Gibbs let her take the lead until they stepped inside her room. Once the door was shut behind him, he grabbed her and pinned her against the door. His lips and tongue ravaged her mouth as his hands moved to remove as much of their clothing as he could. He only broke the kiss when he had to pull his tee shirt up over his head.

Maggie put her hands out to touch Gibbs' chest. She'd felt his chest through material before, but to see him like this, with nothing but his jeans and socks on, took her breath away. He had the body of a man much younger. There was no paunch, no love handles, just a firmly muscled torso with chest hair that ran nicely down past his belly button.

Gibbs looked down at Maggie standing in front of him dressed in a blue lace bra and her jeans. At some point down stairs on the couch he'd taken the clip from her hair and let her hair down. With a flip of his fingers, the hook on the front of her bra would be undone and on the floor. Instead he brought her hands up to his belt buckle and placed her fingers on the ring. While she moved her fingers to release the leather from the buckle, his hands moved up along her arms. He was traced his fingers up along her arms, across her shoulders and down her chest to where the blue lace began on the cups of her bra.

Maggie's fingers trembled as she unfastened Gibbs' belt and unhooked the button on the top of his jeans. She was careful as she slid the zipper down its length. When she reached inside his jeans and slid her hand against him, he leaned his head back and caught his breath. Maggie leaned forward and placed tiny kisses along the gray hairs on his chest. Gibbs moved them toward the bed while he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled the zipper down. His powerful arms pulled her to him and he kissed her hard while he tugged her jeans down over her hips. Maggie broke the kiss and stepped back to finish taking her jeans off leaving her standing in front of him in nothing but her underwear. Gibbs got his jeans and socks off quickly and Maggie smiled to herself. Yup, Gibbs was a plain cotton boxer man. He didn't give her time to stare at him in his almost full glory; he picked her up and placed her on the bed covering her body with his. In seconds, all other clothing was gone and Maggie could feel him hard against her hip.

Gibbs pulled his head back to look down at Maggie.

"What's wrong?" she asked seeing the concern in his eyes.

"I don't think I can go slow."

Maggie traced her fingers along his cheek. "Then don't. We can do slow later."

That was all that Gibbs needed to hear. He pulled one of her legs up to his waist and with a quick thrust of his hips; he was buried deep inside her.

Maggie arched her back up to him and dug her nails into his arms as he thrust his body into hers. She had been more than ready for him from the time they started up the stairs. A few thrusts later and she cried out his name as her body exploded around him. Gibbs moved a few more times and grunted as his body released into hers. For a while, they stayed like that on her bed, bodies entwined as they waited for their breathing to slow. Gibbs moved first, rolling to his back, pulling Maggie to his side, her head resting on his chest. One of his hands stroked down her back while the other brushed his sweat dampened hair off his forehead. Maggie's hand rested on Gibbs chest, she could feel his heart still racing.

"Maggie." Gibbs said after a few minutes. "We didn't use anything."

Maggie smiled. No, they hadn't talked about protections. She leaned up on her arm and looked at him.

"I can't get pregnant if that's what you mean." She told him.

"No?" he replied tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Why?"

"I had a tough pregnancy with Jamie and couldn't have any more kids after that." Maggie saw a look of sadness on Gibbs' face. "Don't worry." She smiled. "Wait; is there something I should know?" Maggie emphasized the I to tease him.

Gibbs smiled, shook his head and pulled her head back down to his shoulder. He liked the way she felt against him. He liked the way they fit against each other. After a few minutes he realized that Maggie's breath had slowed down and she had fallen asleep. He reached over and pulled the blanket up over them and closed his eyes too. It had been a long time since he'd felt this at ease with a woman and he liked how it felt.

Maggie was lying on her side, Gibbs spooned behind her. She felt the arm lift off her and the bed dip as he got up. She heard him go into the master bathroom and shut the door. So he was going to leave in the middle of the night. Not what she wished for, but if he wanted to leave…her thoughts were cut off when she heard the toilet flush and his feet padding across the bedroom floor.

Gibbs rinsed his hands in the sink and walked back into the bedroom. Normally this would be when he'd sneak out in the middle of the night, but looking at Maggie, lying on her side, her back to him, he felt his body react. His eyes lingered on the curve of her hip as he crossed the floor. Briefly, his eyes locked on to the scar across her lower back, he made a mental note to ask her about it later as he slid back under the covers.

At first Maggie thought Gibbs was looking for his clothes, but she felt the bed dip as he climbed back in and his hand moved along her hip and up her side as he moved his body in behind her.

"I know you're awake." He whispered and his lips moved along her neck.

Maggie shifted slightly, pressing her body back into his.

"Time for slow." He told her as his hand cupped her breast and kneaded it.

The smell of coffee entered Maggie's dream. And what a dream it was. She and Gibbs had made love once hard and fast and the second time; he'd gone slowly and did things with his mouth that made her blush.

"Wake up sleepy head." Gibbs' voice was in her dreams now and Maggie knew that it hadn't been a dream and today, her body was going to be pleasantly sore.

"I hope that coffee is for me." Maggie smiled, her eyes still closed.

"You have to wake up if you want it." Gibbs said as he sat down on the side of the bed.

"Careful, that's a loaded statement." Maggie opened her eyes to see Gibbs dressed and holding two mugs of coffee.

"If I didn't have to go home and shower and change for work, I'd give you what you want." He leaned down and kissed her softly.

"What time is it?" Maggie asked as she sat up pulling the sheet up in front of her.

"5 a.m. and you don't have to cover up on my account." He told her as he tugged at the sheet.

"What if I spill my coffee?"

"Then I'll clean it up." His crooked smirk told her exactly how he would do that.

"You figured out my coffee machine?"

"Have one at work, I like the drip machines, but this will do too." Gibbs took another sip and put the mug on the nightstand. "I have to head home. Dog's been fed and gone out." He kissed her again and stood up.

"You spoil me." Maggie smiled at him.

"I'll call you later." He told her as he walked to the bedroom door. "We're in the office all day going over cold cases."

"Sounds like fun."

"More like root canal." He told her. "But without the drugs."

"I think he's bouncing again."

McGee looked up at Ziva and gave her an odd look.

"Who's bouncing Ziva?" he asked.

"Gibbs. Gibbs is bouncing; he has a bounce in his step. Like he did with Dr. Ryan."

"Maybe she's back in town." McGee answered.

"Or he's building a new boat, or he had extra coffee, who knows with him." DiNozzo said from his stack of files on his desk. "All I know is he has no files and I do. What is up with that?!" he exclaimed and tossed his hands up in the air.

"Touch down DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he rounded the corner with a fresh coffee.

"No Boss. Just getting the oxygen flowing." DiNozzo moved his arms around like he was exercising. "Ah, feel better already."

Gibbs sat down at his desk and just smiled. He'd called Maggie when he went out for coffee. She wasn't able to talk long, it was a tough morning at the school, and they'd made plans to meet up later that night. He was looking forward to seeing her; so much so that he made sure he had clean sheets on his bed.

Maggie's morning had started out on a good foot, but had quickly gone downhill when she got to school. One of the aides was out with the flu and she had to pull double duty with the kids. Luckily when Gibbs had called she was alone in the classroom. She could only talk for a minute but knowing she was going to see him later that night gave her something to look forward to. As she was walking from the teachers room back to her classroom after lunch her cell phone rang. It was her brother.

"Hey little brother."

"Got a second to talk?" Tony asked.

"Just one. I'm on my way back to class."

"I'll make it quick then. Do you want to stop by after you finish for the day? I want everyone to meet you?"

Maggie stopped dead in her tracks.

"You can't say no. I'll leave a visitors pass for you at the front desk. I'll see you around 4. Love you." Tony hung up before she could answer.

"Oh shit." Maggie muttered.

She didn't have time to call Gibbs directly so she texted him.

_Tony invited me to work to meet everyone. U okay w/that_

She pressed the send button and went back into her room. If Gibbs said no or didn't respond, she'd find a reason to put it off for a few days. There was no way she was going to blindside Gibbs at work. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and read his response.

_Ok with me_

Maggie shook her head, she was surprised. She thought Gibbs would say don't or wait or something, but it would be fun to play strangers and see what he was like at work.

"Hi, I'm Maggie Sullivan." Maggie told the officer at the front desk of the NCIS building. "Agent DiNozzo said he'd leave a visitors pass for me."

"All civilians need to be escorted in the building." The officer told her. "If you wait a minu. te, I'll find someone to bring you up."

"No need Roger. I'll do that."

"Yes Director." The officer replied as Maggie turned around to see a man standing behind her.

"Hi, I heard through the scuttlebutt that you'd be visiting today." The man held his hand out to Maggie. "I'm Director Leon Vance."

Maggie shook the director's hand. "I'm Maggie Sullivan, Anthony DiNozzo's sister."

"I'll take you up." Vance waved his hand in the direction of the elevator. "You know there is quite a buzz about you."

"Really? Why?" Maggie asked as the elevator doors closed.

"Agent DiNozzo never mentioned you, so we were quite surprised to find out you existed."

"That's just how Tony is. I'm sure you've met Senior." Maggie knew from Tony that Senior had been there a few times.

"Mmm." Vance answered as the door opened. "He's quite a character."

"You have no idea." Maggie told him as they walked over to where Tony's desk was.

Maggie did her best to keep calm even though her stomach was filled with butterflies and her heart was pounding. Would she be able to pretend to act like she didn't know Gibbs.

Tony looked up from his desk when he heard the chime announcing its arrival on their floor and was surprised to see Director Vance walking his sister out of the elevator.

"Director?" he stood up and came around the desk to great them.

"Your sister was in the lobby when was coming back in. I thought I'd bring her up." Vance shook Maggie's hand again. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Sullivan."

"Maggie, please."

Vance nodded and left Maggie with Tony.

"Working the preppy look?" Tony asked as he kissed Maggie on the cheek.

"I work with kids Tony. I don't wear designer suits like you. It would be pointless."

Maggie had gone to school in a pair of khakis, pink button down shirt and sneakers. Maggie stopped at home before going to NCIS and switched out her shoes, grabbed a different coat and touched up her make up a little. After all, she would run into Gibbs there.

Tony put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the bullpen area.

"Here we go." Tony leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Gather around every one, this is my sister. Maggie, this is everyone."

Maggie playfully backhanded Tony in the stomach.

"I think you can do better than that."

Two other people were sitting at desks Maggie noticed. Gibbs was nowhere to be seen. A handsome young man and an exotic looking woman walked over to them.

"You must be Timothy." Maggie held her hand out to McGee. "Nice to put a name and face together."

"Nice to meet you."

"Please call me Maggie." She told McGee.

"Tim, you can call me Tim."

"And I'm Ziva David." The woman held out her hand to Maggie.

Maggie smiled broadly at Ziva.

"You are so much more beautiful than Tony said."

Ziva gave Tony a shocked smile. Tony leaned in and told Maggie to cut it out.

"I wish I could say we knew more about you." Ziva told Maggie. "But Tony's never mentioned you."

"Tony keeps family and work apart."

"We've met your father." McGee told her.

"Did Tony invite Senior or did Senior invite himself." Maggie asked.

Ziva and McGee looked at each other and thought for a minute.

"Well I think he invited himself." McGee finally concluded.

"That explains it all."

"You look very familiar to me." Ziva couldn't place it. But she had seen Maggie somewhere.

"Well I've been here a month." Maggie named some places she'd been but none of them rang a bell with Ziva. "Wait, now I know." Maggie pointed at Ziva. "You run every morning. You wear a bright orange cap."

Ziva snapped her fingers. "That is it. I've seen you running. Usually on the weekends."

"I run mornings on the weekends and after school during the week." Maggie confirmed.

"I did not see you this past Sunday." Ziva commented.

"I went out early. I had some things to take care of." Maggie didn't lie, but she didn't say where she had been.

Ziva looked at Maggie while Maggie, Tony and McGee talked. Maggie clearly must look like her mother, while Tony resembled their father. Maggie had red hair and green eyes, while Tony had brown hair and a different shade of green eyes. Tony had mentioned his sister was older, but standing next to him, Maggie could be the same age or even younger.

"Where's Boss?" Tony looked over at Gibbs' desk and Maggie wondered if Gibbs was intentionally making himself scarce. Gibbs wasn't much on families.

"Right here DiNozzo."

Maggie heard Gibbs voice behind her and her heart flipped. Ziva happened to be watching Gibbs to confirm her "bounce" theory in Gibbs step and caught Maggie's reaction to Gibbs. She wasn't surprised; Gibbs had that reaction with women Ziva knew. But when Ziva watched Tony introduce Maggie to Gibbs, she saw the look in Gibbs eyes. Was there something there she shouldn't be seeing? Because Maggie's eyes mirrored Gibbs.

"Nice to meet you Maggie." Gibbs shook Maggie's hand. Ziva noticed he held it just a little longer, just a second or two before he let it go.

"Nice to meet you too Agent Gibbs."

"You can call me Jethro."

Tony gave his boss a quizzical look. Gibbs must be getting some from someone because he was being downright cheerful.

"Boss if you can spare me for a few minutes, I'd like to take Maggie down to meet Abs, Ducky and the Autopsy Gremlin."

"Autopsy Gremlin?" Maggie questioned.

"He means Jimmy Palmer." McGee hated when Tony called Palmer that name.

Gibbs nodded and walked around to his desk to sit. "You gonna let your sister keep her coat on the entire time she's here?"

"No Boss." Tony helped Maggie off with her coat and started to bring it and her purse to his desk when Gibbs stopped him.

"Put it here DiNozzo. I'm not going anywhere, it'll be safe here." Gibbs took Maggie's coat and purse from him and draped it over his own. "Go on now. I'm sure Abby's dying to meet your sister."

Ziva watched Tony lead Maggie to the back elevator. McGee went back to work as did Gibbs. But something was different with Gibbs she thought, but she wasn't completely sure.

"You can go with them if you have nothing to do Ziva." Gibbs' voice brought Ziva back to the moment.

"No, I'm almost done here." Ziva got up to bring a folder to the filing cabinet. On her way back she caught Gibbs slipping a note into Maggie's coat pocket. It was a subtle gesture, but Ziva still noticed it.

She sat back down and began to wonder if Gibbs and Maggie had already met. Was Maggie the reason behind the "bounce"? She thought about it for a few moments while she pretended to work on her case. Maggie was clearly Gibbs' type, she was a red head, she was quite pretty and from what Tony had already told her, she was also stubborn. Tony; Ziva realized with some horror- would not like having his sister involved with their boss.

Gibbs fought the urge to go down and check up on Tony and Maggie. He'd checked his watch for the fifth time when he heard the back elevator chime. Tony and Maggie were joined by Abby; whose arm was hooked through Maggie's, and Ducky. Abby and Ducky had their jackets with them. Gibbs knew something was up. Something that may delay him seeing Maggie later on.

"Jethro, we're taking Maggie out for a drink." Ducky began. "Would you please let the team go early tonight? We want to get to know Maggie better."

Gibbs knew he could say no, but Abby had that "Please Gibbs" look on her face and the team was assigned to cold cases this week, what harm could it do?

"Fine, go." He waved them on. "Be on time in the morning."

"You want to come Boss?" Tony asked as he handed Maggie her jacket and purse.

"No, I have to be in MTAC in 30." Gibbs looked at his watch. "I'll take a rain check though." He looked at Maggie and Abby who had put her arm back through Maggie's. Even with heels on, Abby still towered over Maggie. Abby clearly liked Maggie. So it seemed did the rest of his team. He was surprised that knowing his team liked Maggie was important to him.

"Okay then, night Boss." Tony said. "Come McGee, Ziva. To the pub we go."

Gibbs waited fifteen minutes before texting Maggie.

_Want to cancel tonight?_

He waited for Maggie's answer before heading up to MTAC.

_Not on your life._

Gibbs smiled when he read her reply and closed his phone.

"Who you texting? Some new guy?" Tony teased his sister as she put her phone back in her jacket pocket.

"And if it were?" Maggie looked at Tony. "What would you say?"

"I'd say.." Tony thought for a moment. Was she seeing someone? If so who?

"Anthony leave your sister be." Ducky intervened. "Now Maggie, tell us more about young Tony. Where did he get his love for movies?"

"I'll tell you more stories if you let me buy the first round."

Maggie pulled up in front of Gibbs' house. It was exactly what she would expect Gibbs to live in. From their conversations, she knew he'd bought it when he was married to his first wife. She knew at least one other wife had lived there too. When that wife divorced him, she cleaned out his bank account but let him keep the house. She walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell. She loved the style of the front door, the big glass window in it, even the stained glass window next to the door. She made a mental note of them for ideas for her house.

"Have a good time?" Gibbs asked when he opened the front door. He'd changed out of his work clothes and had on a pair of jeans, a hooded sweatshirt and had socks on his feet.

"Actually I did." She stepped inside the house, stood on her tip toes and kissed Gibbs on the cheek. Gibbs put an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Not good enough." He whispered and kissed her fully on the mouth. When he pulled back and moved the shut the door, he paused for a second. He thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, but let it go when Maggie tugged at his hand.

"Got a beer?" she asked stepping into the living room.

Gibbs walked past her and playfully swatted her on the backside on his way into the kitchen. Maggie took her jacket off and put it on the chair. This was the home of a man still holding on to his past, even if it wasn't that obvious.

"Here ya go." Gibbs handed her a beer and took her hand leading her to the couch. He pulled her down next to him. "So, what do you think of them?"

Maggie took a sip of her beer.

"They are really a great group of people."

Gibbs nodded his head in agreement as he drank his beer.

"They think very highly of you."

"Do I want to know what they said?"

Maggie laughed. "It wasn't an all about Gibbs session. You're name came up, but it was mostly in connection with Tony."

Maggie filled him in on some of the things they had asked her about Tony and growing up, what he was like, where did the movie thing come in.

"He does like his movies." Gibbs agreed. "Is that something you share?"

"Gibbs, did you see a TV in my house?"

"No." He thought for a minute. "Hell even I have one of those."

"Let me say that different. Tony loves movies, I love books. Tony tries to get me to see a movie if it was a book and I always argue that the book is better than the movie. The only movie I will cop to getting him hooked on is James Bond."

"And which one is your favorite?" Gibbs pulled her closer so that her legs were resting on his lap.

"Totally Daniel Craig. I have a thing for blue eyes." She told him as she leaned and kissed him.

"What else do they know about you now that I don't?" Gibbs asked a few minutes later.

Maggie toyed with his fingers as she recalled the conversations from earlier.

"Let's see. They know that after James died, I had to learn all about football because Jamie played and I was never the football person."

"No? Was that James' area?" Gibbs asked. It was comfortable for Maggie to talk about her late husband, something he wasn't very good at.

"James did all the Pop Warner games and coached when he could. Me, I was the Red Sox fan and took Jamie to home games all the time. If the Yankees were in town, we had third base seats."

"What else?"

"Well they know that I teach, that I love working with the special needs kids. That I love sushi."

"I knew that too." Gibbs admitted.

"And how did you know that? NCIS special agent skills?" Maggie teased.

"You have a sushi set in your cabinet. I saw it this morning."

"Okay, I'll give you that. They know that I am a runner, well Ziva has seen me, and they know that I like to kick box."

"I'll remember that if we get into an argument."

"I'd never use it on you. Self-defense only."

"Yeah well I've had ex-wives that know how to use baseball bats and nine irons." He told her

"That's just wrong." Maggie told him. "They know how James died and how Tony helped me out a lot with Jamie when things were awkward."

Gibbs gave Maggie a questioning look.

"Jamie was always a good kid, but he was 15 when his father died and during his senior year he acted out here and there. Drinking, driving too fast. Things like that. Because James was a cop, the other cops looked out for him, never charging him, bringing him home to me. Jamie resented it, said that his friends said he was a Mama's boy and it made him angrier. So I told James' old buddies that the next time they caught him drinking or speeding, arrest him. Toss him behind bars for the night; let him see how it felt."

"Did it work?"

"The phone call he made wasn't to me, but to Tony. And let me tell you Tony read him the riot act. Tony made Jamie check in with him every other day about his grades and what he was doing and who he was with."

"Really?"

"I know, it doesn't sound like Tony, but Tony knew how it felt to not have a full time dad around. He wanted Jamie to know that he'd always be there for him no matter what."

Gibbs nodded, that made sense.

"Why did he become a Marine?" Gibbs asked.

"He loved the uniform." Maggie untangled herself from Gibbs and went to pick up her purse. She took out her wallet and withdrew the picture of Jamie in his dress uniform and brought it back to Gibbs. He picked up his glasses from the table and looked at the formal headshot of Maggie's son.

"He looks a lot like Tony." Gibbs noticed the same face shape and familiar nose and mouth.

"Yeah, he got the DiNozzo gene there, but his hair is lighter and he has his father's eyes."

Gibbs handed her back the picture. "What he get from you?"

"My intelligence and amazing cooking ability." She smiled as she saw a familiar look in his eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But he didn't get my amazing flexibility."

"I like that flexibility." Gibbs kissed her as he began to move her back down on the couch.

A half hour later, somewhere between Maggie's blouse ending up on the floor and Gibb's red USMC tee shirt on the coffee table, Maggie felt a buzzing on her hip.

"You're buzzing Gibbs." She told him as his mouth moved down between her breasts.

"Ignore it." He told her, even though he knew he couldn't.

"Well then move over a little to your left and put that vibrating to good use."

Gibbs lifted his head and gave Maggie a 'are you serious' look that made her laugh. He reached into his pocket and flipped the phone open.

"Yeah..Gibbs."

Maggie started to move herself out from under Gibbs, but he wouldn't budge. Maybe this wasn't an urgent phone call.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes. Call the rest of them in." Gibbs flipped his phone shut. He lowered his head back down to where it had been a few seconds ago. He inhaled the scent of Maggie's perfume and filed it in his memory for later.

"You have to go?" Maggie asked as she stroked the back of his head.

Gibbs nodded his head and kissed Maggie at the hollow of her throat before he moved off of her to retrieve his shirt and hand Maggie hers.

Maggie stood up and put her shirt back on.

"It's okay Gibbs. It's part of your job." She told him.

He knew that. He knew that she would understand that too. Her husband had been a cop and she knew that sometimes the job would have to come first. They walked out together, Gibbs walking Maggie to her car parked in front of his house. He opened the door for her and stopped to kiss her before she got into the car.

"Call or text me when you can." She told him when she sat down in the car.

Gibbs nodded and watched her drive off down the street.

The next afternoon, Gibbs and Ziva were sitting in the car watching the apartment of a suspect in the murder they'd been called in on the previous night. One of their cold cases was no longer so cold. It was quiet in the car, neither person speaking, just watching for their suspect. Gibbs knew that Ziva had something on her mind but was struggling with how to approach it, so he did it for her. He took a sip of his coffee before asking her.

"Why were you outside my house last night?" he asked.

When Maggie rang the doorbell he had seen Ziva's red Mini-Cooper pull up in front of the house two doors down. She tried to park in the shadows, but he knew it was her.

Ziva should have been surprised that Gibbs had seen her, but it was Gibbs after all and not too much got past him.

"Why haven't you told Tony you're involved with his sister?"

Gibbs took another sip of his coffee and stared straight ahead. He turned his answer over in his mind. He didn't like secrets; but if there was an answer to this question it had to be given to Tony first. Gibbs was saved from answering by the arrival of Tony and McGee pulling up behind them. Ziva hadn't expected him to answer but hoped that he would see that keeping this kind of secret wasn't good for them as a team.

"What's up Boss?" Tony asked as he leaned into the driver's side window. Tony looked from Gibbs to Ziva and back. "Anything going on I should know about?"

"Nope. Just keep an eye out for him. Check in later." Gibbs started the car and Tony walked back to his car.

"Huh." Tony said out loud as he watched as Gibbs' car took the corner.

"Something up?" McGee asked as he checked the battery on the digital camera.

"Something seemed…I dunno, off between Gibbs and Ziva."

"You spend 4 hours in a car with Gibbs, you'd be off too."

"It's not that Probie, it's something else." Tony mused.

"Your sister is pretty cool." McGee said changing the subject. Four hours in the in the car with Tony would be long enough without having a 'what's up with Ziva and Gibbs' debate.

"Yeah, she is isn't she?" Tony agreed.

"How come you never mentioned joining the force because of your brother in law? I thought it was because of the kid you saved in Baltimore from the fire."

"That was the big part of it. When I went up to Boston after that I talked to James about it and he thought it was a good idea. He supported me through the whole thing. He was a great guy." Tony told McGee.

"Maggie never remarried?"

"No. Had a couple of relationships, but the last one didn't end on a happy note."

"Really? What happened?" McGee asked.

"I'm not sure, all I know is she filed a restraining order." Tony stopped talking for a few seconds.

"Something wrong Tony?"

"Do you think Gibbs didn't like Maggie?"

"Why do you think that?" McGee wondered.

"He barely looked at her. She's totally his type."

McGee was cut off from answering Tony off when their suspect came out of his apartment.

Ziva stood in front of Gibbs' desk, her arms folded across her chest while she waited for him to look up and acknowledge her. Gibbs took his glasses off and looked up at her.

"What."

"You know 'what' Gibbs. You and Maggie. Why are you keeping this a secret from Tony?"

"Who's keeping a secret from Tony?" Abby asked as she walked over from the elevator.

Gibbs didn't need to have this conversation now. He got up from his desk, grabbed his jacket and walked between Abby and Ziva.

"Going out for coffee."

Ziva shook her head and made a comment in Israeli as she walked back to her desk.

"Um, Ziva;" Abby began. "Is everything okay with Gibbs? You seem sort of mad at him."

"No I am not mad Abby, he just.." Ziva couldn't think of how to say what she was feeling. "Sometimes he just infuriates me. That is all."

Gibbs stopped outside of the building, checked the time on his watch to figure out where Maggie would be now. They had spoken earlier and she told him her furniture was coming from Boston today, so she'd be home all night taking care of it.

"You look troubled Jethro. Is there something I can help you with?"

Gibbs looked up from his phone as Ducky walked towards him. If Gibbs was to confide in anyone it would be Ducky. Problem was, Gibbs didn't like to air his problems, not that seeing Maggie was a problem.

"Yeah Duck, maybe you could."

The two men walked over to a bench and sat down. Gibbs leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and thought of where to begin. Ducky could see Gibbs was struggling.

"Let me make it easy for you." Ducky reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out the folded note Gibbs had slipped in Maggie's jacket and handed it to Gibbs.

"Where'd you get this Duck?"

"It fell out of Maggie's pocket and fortuitously I was the one who found it." Ducky smirked at Gibbs. "How long have you and Maggie been involved?"

Gibbs grinned. If anyone else had seen the note he wrote to Maggie, it would have been embarrassing. Ducky finding it wasn't. Ducky had introduced Gibbs to one of his wives and stitched him up twice when two different wives had gotten aggravated with him.

"We met about a few weeks ago." Gibbs told his friend.

"Did you know who she was?"

Gibbs smiled at the memory of that moment on their first real date. "Nope, not until the end of our first date."

"And there was obviously a second." Ducky commented.

Gibbs nodded.

"And I am guessing that there has been 'more' between you two judging from your note."

Gibbs nodded again.

"Then why the charade? Why did you pretend to not know her when Tony brought her in?"

"Keeping work and life apart."

"Jethro, you know in our line of work that the line is often blurred. How can you two expect to keep Anthony in the dark? He has to be told."

"I know Duck, I know." Gibbs agreed. "I was about to call Maggie and tell her that Ziva found out."

"Ziva knows? Now you have to tell Tony. Ziva won't like keeping a secret from Tony. Not after all they've been through."

"You're right Duck."

Ducky left Gibbs at the bench as Gibbs proceeded to call Maggie. Tonight. They'd tell Tony tonight. Gibbs only hoped that things would be fine in the morning.

Tony was just finishing up the paperwork on the interrogation when his cell phone rang. It was Maggie.

"Mags, how's it going?"

"I made some pasta today." Maggie started the conversation.

"Ooh, the one I like? With the little pasta and spinach and real parmesan?"

Maggie laughed. "Yeah Tony, the orzo pasta one you like. Can you come over for dinner tonight?"

"I have about an hour left here, will that be good. I'll stop and get some wine."

Gibbs listened from his desk to Tony's conversation. Maggie had agreed that they had better tell Tony. She knew that Gibbs team was important to him and if he had to make a choice, she'd accept whatever happened.

Ziva was still at her desk when Tony left. She and Gibbs were the only two in the bullpen. She was still angry with Gibbs and somewhat with Maggie too. Gibbs grabbed his jacket and turned off his desk light, he stopped for a moment in front of Ziva's desk. Gibbs looked at Ziva and nodded his head before walking to the elevator. Ziva knew that Gibbs and Maggie were going to tell Tony tonight. Ziva wondered if she had any sick time she could use tomorrow.

Maggie set three plates on the table. The pasta and spinach were on the stove; all she needed to do was add the parmesan when Tony…and Gibbs got there. She was nervous. She kept tucking her hair behind her ear, an easy tell about her nervousness. Instead of give her nervousness away; she pulled her hair back into a pony tail and took a deep breath.

"Woof."

Freckles launched from her bed in the living room to the front door signaling Tony's arrival. Gibbs was going to wait about a half hour before showing up.

"Freck, leave Uncle Tony alone. He's going to have a tough enough time without you jumping on him." Maggie said as she opened the front door.

"And that is why Uncle Tony brought this." Tony moved his hand from behind his back and held out a three foot long raw hide bone. Freckles tail wagged excitedly back and forth at the site of her favorite treat. "Do I just give it to her?"

"Tell her to sit." Maggie instructed her brother.

"Sit."

Freckles sat down in front of Tony.

"Tell her to stay."

"Stay."

Freckles tail stilled and her eyes focused up on Tony's face.

"Tell her she's a good girl and then give her the rawhide."

Tony did exactly as Maggie told him and Freckles took the rawhide from Tony and trotted off to her bed in the living room.

"Not bad Tony." Maggie gave Tony a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go in the kitchen I have to put the parmesan on."

"Can I do anything to help?"

"Think you can manage finishing the salad for me?"

"Salad, I can do." Tony pushed up the sleeve of his sweater and washed his hands in the sink. He was drying off his hands when he noticed that there were three plates on the table.

"Jamie coming to dinner?"

"Um, no." Maggie said as she added the pasta to the boiling pot of water.

"Okay then." Tony gave his sister an odd look. "Dad?"

Maggie almost dropped the fork she was using to stir the pasta.

"No. Senior is not coming to dinner. Why would you even suggest that?"

"No need to get snippy." Tony told her. "I was just making a guess. But maybe you could just think about talking to him, calling him, something like that."

"Not going to happen Tony. Let it go."

They were silent in the kitchen for a few moments while Tony moved from the tomatoes to the cucumbers.

"So then," he broke the silence. "Who is the third plate for? Wait." Tony looked up at Maggie who was stirring the pasta sauce. "The dog eats at the table."

Maggie couldn't help but laugh at her brother. Tony wasn't much on confrontations; he had to always find a way to defuse them with humor.

"No, Freckles doesn't eat at the table." Maggie took a deep breath; it was now or never. "I invited someone else."

Tony nodded and smiled. "I knew it. You ARE seeing someone." Tony was pleased with himself. "You want me to meet this guy and give him the big brother stamp of approval."

"No, it's not…"

"It's okay sis. I got this. I can go all stern big brother like….hmm what movie did …"

Maggie cut Tony off.

"Tony, you don't have to DO anything, just let me finish."

"I could be like Gibbs and say nothing, just do the stare. That'll un-nerve him, and I'll see what he's really like."

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt the beginnings of a migraine starting. Maggie's head snapped up when she heard the front door open and close, Tony kept on rambling.

"Oh, you should have asked Gibbs to come over, he's good at reading people."

"She already did ask me."

Tony spun around to see Gibbs walking into the kitchen. Gibbs put a six pack of beer on the table and went over to kiss Maggie on the cheek. Tony's mouth hung open as it slowly dawned on him. He looked from Maggie to Gibbs and back to Maggie.

"You two." He pointed from one to the other anger rising in his voice over the astonishment on his face.

"Yes." Maggie nodded. She watched her brother's reaction.

"How? When?" Tony was confused, they'd just met. Gibbs had rules, which one was it Tony wondered as he tried to sort this all out.

"A few weeks ago."

Tony thought he'd heard Maggie wrong and repeated what she said.

Gibbs still hadn't said anything, he watched Tony's reaction. He stood next to Maggie, his hands at his side waiting to see what was going to happen next. He was Tony's boss and Maggie was Tony's sister. It was a very fine line he and Maggie were walking. He knew that things could go horribly wrong.

"So you were pretending to not know each other when you came to the office e the other day." Tony was beginning to get angry.

"Let me explain." Maggie walked over to Tony who backed away from her towards the kitchen door.

"Explain that the two of you were lying to me and made me look foolish in front of my friends!"

"DiNozzo." Gibbs finally spoke up.

"No, no Boss. You have your rules and I have mine. No lying. And I don't even know what to say to you Maggie." Tony went out the kitchen door and slammed it behind him. He walked across the porch and stopped at the stairs. He was angry. The two of the pretending to not know each other when all this time they'd been seeing each other and God knows doing what else. No, he knew what else; Gibbs had that bounce in his step. They were sharing more than just coffee.

Tony turned around and stormed back into the kitchen.

"You can't just …." Tony began yelling and stopped when he saw Gibbs and Maggie standing there. Maggie was facing Gibbs, her face tipped up to his. Gibbs had her face cradled in his hands. And then Tony saw it. He saw the look on Maggie's face. It was a look that he hadn't seen on her face since James was alive. Maggie was happy, truly happy. The kind of happy look you get when you were in love. And Gibbs. Gibbs was smiling. Not the usual lopsided smirk- I know something smirk- that he usually had. This was a full on reach the eyes smile. Gibbs really liked his sister.

Maggie looked over at Tony. "Tony…"

"No Maggie, it's not that easy." He was still angry. "I never lied to you about anything. You ask me a question I was always honest with you. You more than anyone else."

Maggie stepped away from Gibbs and over to Tony who took a step back and looked over at Gibbs. "Is this some kind of payback from me taking assignments without your knowledge?"

Gibbs expression changed as he looked at Tony and hoped he chose his next words carefully.

"I need some air." Tony walked back out onto the porch and when Maggie started to follow; Gibbs reached out and stopped her.

"He needs a minute."

"I'll follow your lead." Maggie told Gibbs. "If you have to put work first, I understand."

"Are you saying you want to stop?" Gibbs tipped Maggie's face up to his. He could see the answer in her eyes.

Maggie shook her head no.

"Good, I would have put up a fight if you said yes." He smiled at her.

Tony stepped back through the door after a few minutes and stood with his hands buried deep into his pockets.

"Dinner's getting cold Mags. Gibbs, you going to share those beers?"

Maggie and Gibbs watched as Tony grabbed the salad dressing from the refrigerator and brought the salad bowls to the table.

"Tony?" Maggie questioned her brother.

"Mags."

"Are you saying you're okay with us?" Maggie pointed from herself to Gibbs.

Tony sat down and put some salad on his plate while Gibbs poured the pasta into the strainer and put some onto the three plates.

"I'm saying that there can be no more lying." Tony put the bottle of salad dressing down and looked at his sister and Gibbs who were now sitting across from him. "Look, its weird okay. He's my boss and you're my sister. But I'd be an idiot to not see that there is something between you two."

Gibbs dipped his spoon into the pasta and listened. He knew there was a 'but' coming.

"But, there has to be a line."

"Okay." Maggie nodded her head.

"I'm saying I need time. This is new for all of us."

"Tony you know that I keep my personal life personal. I know Gibbs feels the same way. And even though you like to tell everyone everything."

"I do not." Tony gave his sister an offended look.

"Edith and the costume." Gibbs said as he chewed his pasta.

"I'm sorry, what?" Maggie almost choked on her salad.

"Never mind." Tony got busy adding more cheese to his pasta.

*Boston, Four Seasons Hotel Bar*

Joe Antonelli sat at the end of the polished oak bar. The room was dimly lit as the movers and shakers tried to move and shake big money deals. There were women scattered here and there in the bar all beautifully done up in furs, diamonds and lots of plastic surgery. None of these women interested Joe, not that he was willing to pay for their company. He was interested in one of the men sitting at the table in the middle of the room. He knew the man well even though they've never met. Joe had spent months trying to find out everything he could about this man, in particular where his daughter had gone to. Joe waited for the right time and after watching the man drink several Belvedere Martinis, the distinguished looking man excused himself from the table and went to the rest room. Joe followed discreetly.

"Excuse me sir." Joe said to the man as they stood next to each other at the sinks drying their hands. "Are you Anthony DiNozzo, Sr?"

Senior looked at the man next to him and couldn't place him.

"Yes, I am, have we met before?" Senior asked.

"No, we haven't met, but I've heard all about you."

"All good I hope." Senior smiled his fake smile.

"All good sir." Joe lied.

"Well who told you about me?"

Joe smiled and hoped his months of work would pay off.

"Your daughter, Maggie Sullivan."

Senior was completely surprised at the man's answer.

"Let me explain. I'm an old friend of Maggie's. My name is Joe Antonelli. I've been trying to find her, I heard she moved. Do you happen to know where she moved to?"

Senior smiled again.

"Well yes Joe, I do know. I talked to my son today; they were having dinner tonight at her new home outside of DC."


	4. Chapter 4

"Tony, I can take care of the dishes." Maggie told Tony as he picked up the dishes and brought them to the sink.

"No, I got it." Tony told Maggie as he carried the glasses to the sink. One slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor.

Gibbs went to the closet and got the broom and dust pan to sweep up the broken glass. Maggie knew what Tony was trying to do. He didn't want to leave if Gibbs was still there. She watched as Tony went to take the broom from Gibbs, who moved it out of his reach.

"Enough Tony." Maggie snapped. She went into the living room and took his coat from the chair and handed it to him. "I'm a big girl, you don't need to chaperone."

Tony didn't get a chance to protest as Maggie pulled him to the door and opened it holding his jacket out for him to take.

"Tony, I need you to be honest with me. Are you really okay with this?"

Tony looked over Maggie's shoulder towards the kitchen.

"I don't know Mags. It's just weird that's all. Gibbs is my boss and I don't know if I can keep him being your ….. your…."

"I get it Tony…but you said you want honesty and that has to be a two way street with us." She told her brother.

"Mags let me ask you something. If I had a problem with you and Gibbs, what would you have done? Would you keep seeing him behind my back?"

Maggie reached out to smooth out the front of Tony's jacket.

"No. If it was truly a problem for you personally then it would affect your work. We talked about it. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize yours and Gibbs' working relationship."

"Even if it hurt you? I can tell that you like him."

"I do."

"And you know all about the wives? All of them?"

"Yes Tony, I know about the three exes' and Shannon and Kelly." She told her brother. Tony was surprised at that admission. Gibbs normally didn't let people in on his first wife and daughter.

"Look, I'm going to try. It's not going to be easy, but I'll try. It's just thinking about you and him…well you know." Tony made a face.

"Then don't think about my sex life."

"I agree with that. I don't want you thinking about that either." Gibbs joined them at the doorway.

"Okay then. I'll see you in the morning …" Tony stopped before saying Boss. Gibbs just nodded his head and Maggie kissed her brother on the cheek.

"I'll talk to you soon."

Gibbs let Freckles out into the yard while he took the trash out. Maggie was putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. Gibbs sat on the top step of the back porch waiting for the dog to finisher her nightly inspection of the yard. He liked this house, the feeling of it. Hearing Maggie in the kitchen opening and closing cabinets. He felt comfortable there. This house had the feeling of a home, his house was a house filled with memories. The only time he slept in his bed was when he had female company; most nights he slept on the couch or on the cot in the basement when he was working on something. He hadn't changed anything in the house. Whatever his ex-wives brought into the house when they lived there, they took with them.

"Hey, what's with the face?" Maggie asked when she sat down next to him. "Kind of cold out here don't you think?"

Gibbs took the coffee mug she was holding and took a sip of it.

"That one's mine, yours is in the house."

"Wanna share?" he grinned at her and handed her back the mug.

"You having second thoughts about all of this? Telling Tony? About me?"

Gibbs put his arm around Maggie and pulled her close to him.

"No, no second thoughts. Just thinking that this may be hard, keeping things separate."

"It might be but we'll…"

"Cross those bridges when we come to them." Gibbs finished for her. "I should be going."

"Really?" Maggie was surprised. She had hoped he'd stay.

"Your brother parked his car down the street."

"He did not." Maggie started to get up and go confront Tony.

Gibbs pulled her back to sit down.

"We have to give him time."

Ziva got to work early. She had only thought about not coming in for only a brief second. Tony had always been there for her; she could only do the same. She had even stopped to get him his favorite jelly donuts.

"You expecting someone?" McGee asked from his desk when he saw Ziva look over her shoulder for the third time. She was beginning to make him nervous.

"Tony is late. That is all."

"You brought him donuts." McGee commented while he worked at his computer.

"I brought you coffee as well." Ziva didn't want to look obvious by just giving something to Tony.

When the elevator bell chimed she looked over her shoulder to see a smiling Tony step out of the elevator. He was smiling broadly.

"You are certainly in a fine mood this morning." Ziva commented. "I take it you had a good dinner with Maggie?"

Maybe Gibbs and Maggie hadn't told Tony. But before either of them could continue their conversation, Gibbs came around the corner.

"McGee, do you have that address?" Gibbs called out.

"Right here boss."

"Ziva, you and Tony go check this out."

"What is it Boss?" Tony took the paper from Gibbs before Ziva could get it.

"Suspects alibi, I don't buy it. Go see what you can turn up."

Gibbs turned his attention back to McGee and what he was doing while Tony and Ziva went to the elevator. Tony was quiet while they rode down to the elevator and went out to get their car.

"Your mood has changed Tony. You do not seem so happy go likely any longer."

"Happy go lucky and I'm fine Ziva."

Tony pulled the car out of the NCIS parking lot and started in the direction of the address.

"You brought me donuts this morning."

"Yes I did."

Tony was quiet for a few minutes.

"How long have you known?"

Ziva looked over at Tony. "Since the night we went out for drinks. I followed Maggie when she left."

Tony swerved the car to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks.

"You followed my sister? Why in the hell would you follow my sister?"

"It is not what you think Tony."

"What is it then?"

"When she left the bar she was going in the wrong direction, I was worried. She is new in town. And then I realized she was in Gibbs' neighborhood."

"And?"

"She went to Gibbs house and I saw them kiss. I realized that they knew each other and had pretended not to when you introduced them."

Tony put the car into drive and continued on.

"So you know?" Ziva asked.

"Last night. Maggie told me at dinner. Well, she invited Gibbs and I figured it out."

"How do you feel about this?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure yet. It's complicated."

Ziva nodded in agreement.

_*Boston*_

_"I'll be happy to go with you. I'm sure Maggie will be surprised." Joe hung up the phone with Anthony DiNozzo Sr. _

_"Maggie will be more than surprised." Joe said as he looked back down at the gun he had just finished cleaning._


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting on the couch in Gibbs' house Maggie leaned against Gibbs with her back to him, his arms wrapped around her and a bowl of popcorn in her lap. 'Pride of the Yankees' starring Gary Cooper was playing on the television, Freckles was curled up sleeping in front of the fireplace.

"You know the only reason I'm watching this is because it's about Lou Gehrig right?" Maggie told Gibbs.

"You hate the Yankees that much?" Gibbs teased her.

"Honey, I'm a Boston Red Sox fan through and through."

"And if I said I was a Yankee fan?"

Maggie turned to look at Gibbs and with the straightest face she could manage.

"Then I'd say no more popcorn for you mister."

Maggie moved the bowl of popcorn away from Gibbs as he tried to reach for it. Maggie moved far enough away until she was stretched out across the couch. Gibbs grabbed the popcorn bowl with one hand and pinned her to the couch with the other. His hand hit the right place on her side and she started laughing.

"You're ticklish?" Gibbs was surprised. How had he not known this?

"Nope, I'm not." Maggie tried to squirm out of his reach, but now that Gibbs knew her weak spot, he went after it full force.

"Stop…" Maggie laughed as she tried to get away from him. But what started as simple tickling had moved onto something a little more. Gibbs' hands moved under her sweatshirt and they started kissing.

"And this is why you need to lock your door."

Gibbs moved up and pulled Maggie with him while Freckles started barking at the person who just woke her from her car chasing dream.

"You could have called Tobias." Gibbs told his friend.

"I didn't think you'd have company. And can you call the dog off."

Gibbs whistled and Freckles walked over and sat down in front of him. She was rewarded with a scratch behind the ears.

Fornell walked over and reached his hand out to shake Maggie's.

"Your boyfriend lacks manners."

"No I don't." Gibbs countered.

"I'm Tobias Fornell. You have to be Maggie. I've heard a lot about you."

"Nice to finally meet you too Tobias."

"So he does talk about me." Fornell said to Maggie.

"Help yourself." Gibbs commented as Fornell scooped up some popcorn from the bowl.

"I will. Do you have any more beers?"

Gibbs gave Fornell a 'hello, you were interrupting here' look, but Tobias either didn't see it or was enjoying annoying Gibbs.

"You can have a beer on one condition." Maggie told Fornell. "Are you a Yankee fan?"

Fornell smiled at her over his shoulder as he walked to the kitchen. "Cubbies all the way."

Maggie closed her eyes and shook her head. Gibbs pulled her close and kissed her on the side of the head. "He's not all bad, took one alimony away from me."

Gibbs could have kicked Fornell out, he was intruding, but it was nice to see how well Maggie and Fornell got along. They watched the rest of the movie together and discussed baseball, no shop talk at all. Maggie got up to take Freckles out to the back yard; Gibbs caught Fornell checking Maggie out.

"Hey." Gibbs snapped.

Fornell smiled. "I'm human Gibbs and she's attractive. She a runner?"

Gibbs stood and took Fornell's beer from him.

"Time for you to go."

Fornell knew he'd pushed the jealousy button on Gibbs and liked the reaction.

"Worried I'm going to steal wife number 5?"

"Nope." Gibbs smirked. "I gave you number 2 you can't have number 5."

The statement was out before he'd realized it. Fornell caught it and just smiled knowingly at his friend before walking out the door. This time Gibbs locked the door. He knew what he'd said, the fact that he'd said it out loud surprised him.

"Tobias gone?" Maggie asked when she came back into the living room.

Gibbs nodded and pulled her into his embrace.

"Dog have water?" he asked her.

Gibbs had bought small bowls for the dog to have at his place for the nights that Maggie stayed there. He'd even gone as far as buying a smaller bag of Freckles food and some treats to keep in his kitchen. Gibbs liked having the dog there. Freckles favorite resting space besides in front of the fireplace was the landing in the basement. If Gibbs was down in the basement working, Freckles would be down on the landing watching what he was doing. Maggie liked kidding Gibbs that he'd stolen Freckles affections with his belly rubs.

Maggie stood on her tip toes and slid her arms around Gibbs' neck.

"Bed time?" she smiled at him.

"Thought you'd never ask." He grinned back.

If Tony had gotten used to the fact Gibbs was dating his sister, neither Gibbs or Maggie truly knew. Tony and Gibbs never discussed Gibbs' personal life at work, and Tony managed to see Maggie when Gibbs wasn't with her. Tony hated thinking of them doing things that a normal couple would do, even though he couldn't imagine Gibbs doing normal couple things like movies and romantic dinners. But that changed one night around midnight while he was at his desk working. The rest of the team had gone home hours ago but Tony worked best at night, when there were no other distractions; so he was surprised when the elevator chime went off and Gibbs and Maggie stepped off the elevator. Gibbs was in a nice suit and tie while Maggie had on a black dress that hugged a little too well and was cut in the front a little too low for the brother in him to like on his sister.

"Boss? Mags?" Tony asked surprised. "Something wrong?" Tony stood up and looked at them. "Please tell me you don't come in here late at night to …" Tony didn't get to finish the sentence; Gibbs smacked him in the back of the head while Maggie slapped his shoulder.

"Hey, that's double teaming and it's not fair." Tony rubbed his shoulder and looked at Maggie. "Nice dress sis, what's the occasion?"

"I can't take your sister out to dinner?" Gibbs asked from his desk where he was checking something on the computer.

"Well sure you can Boss, but you usually go for places that let you wear jeans and work boots." Tony commented.

Gibbs just looked up from his computer at Tony.

"Tony be nice." Maggie told her brother.

"I'm just confused Mags, why are you two here?"

"Got a call that a satellite feed finally cleared to talk to Dunham. He's up in 5 minutes."

"I could have handled it Boss, you didn't have to come in."

"Got the call on the way home Tony, it was on the way." Gibbs stood up and nodded for Maggie to come over and sit down at his desk.

"Why are you here anyways Tony?" Maggie asked as she sat down at Gibbs' desk.

"Does his best work at night." Gibbs told her as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

Tony made a face as he saw that and watched his sister blush as Gibbs whispered something in his sister's ear. The elevator sounded again and this time McGee stepped off the elevator. Tony watched the confusion play across McGee's face as he saw Maggie sitting at Gibbs' desk.

"Come on DiNozzo." Gibbs walked around his desk and towards the stairs.

McGee stood between Tony and Ziva's desk, his backpack still slung on his shoulder, a look of confusion on his face. Maggie hid a smile.

"Hi Tim."

"Maggie." McGee finally walked over to his desk and put his bag on the floor behind his desk. "Were you and Tony out to dinner?"

Maggie smiled and shook her head. "No."

"Okay." McGee said trying to put the pieces together. Maggie was sitting at Gibbs' desk. Maggie was dressed nicely and so was Gibbs. The reality played across McGee's face from "aha" to "wow". "So you and Gibbs were…"

"Out to dinner when he got the call to come in." Maggie finished the sentence.

"And is this the first time you've been out to dinner?"

"No Tim." Maggie smiled. "It's not."

McGee knew enough to not continue; this was none of his business. He tapped his keyboard and accessed the information that had been sent to him. Maggie sat at Gibbs desk and looked around. There were several pictures on his wall, pictures of men in uniform and a picture on his desk that looked like him and his father fishing.

"Maggie; can I get you anything?" McGee asked.

"No, I'm good Tim. But thank you for asking."

McGee nodded and went back to work.

"I read your book." Maggie said.

McGee looked up.

"Really?"

"You seem surprised."

"Well I am. How did you know about it?"

"Tony told me about it a few years ago. I really liked it. Are you going to write another one?"

"I'd like to but I think I hit too close to home with the last one."

"Well if you change your mind, let me know. I'd love to read it."

McGee looked at Maggie for a minute and then looked back down at his keyboard.

"Something wrong Tim?"

"Does Tony know?"

"About?" Maggie wanted to see if he'd actually ask her.

"About…" McGee nodded at Gibbs desk.

"He does McGee." Gibbs answered as he came down the stairs with Tony.

"Sorry Boss. I wasn't trying to pry."

"I know McGee." Gibbs walked over to his desk and put out his hand to Maggie who took it and stood up. "I'll be back within an hour, call Ziva in."

"Night Tony…Tim." Maggie said as she walked by them with Gibbs.

Tony and McGee watched silently as Gibbs and Maggie walked hand in hand to the elevator and stepped inside. They watched as the arrow lit up for down and then a few seconds later both lights lit up to say the elevator had been stopped.

"You don't think they are…" Tony watched as both lights stayed lit for a few minutes and then resumed to go back down. "No, not even I am that fast."

"Are you okay with them?" McGee asked Tony.

"Okay with my sister and my boss dating? Doing the horizontal mambo? Is that what you want to know McNosey-pants?"

"Yes Tony that is what I'm asking."

Tony voice became serious. "I'm still not sure. This is the first time I've seen them together since the night I found out."

"When was that?"

"A couple of weeks ago."

"Anyone else know?"

Tony looked at Ziva's desk and thought. "We'd better call Ziva in. If she's not here before Gibbs gets back my sister may be making my funeral arrangements."

"Whaddya got for me Abs?" Gibbs asked Abby as he walked into her lab just after 7 the next morning. Gibbs took Maggie home and told her that he had every intention of doing exactly what he told her he wanted to do to her the next time she wore that dress. He'd stopped the elevator before they left the office to make sure she knew just how he felt about the dress she'd been wearing and how all night long he'd thought of nothing but taking it off her.

After a quick cold shower at home, a change of clothes and a coffee stop, Gibbs was back at the office where the three other members of his team were working hard on the information Agent Dunham had given them.

"Mass Spec just the substance found is indigenous to the area Dunham gave us."

"Thanks Abs." Gibbs gave Abby his usual kiss on the cheek for good work.

"Oh and Gibbs." Abby called to him before he walked out of the lab.

"Yeah Abs." Gibbs stopped at the door.

Abby smiled at him. "I approve."

Gibbs gave her a confused look.

"Approve of what?" he asked.

"Of you and Maggie. I like her a lot."

"Didn't know I needed approval." Gibbs responded. He should be dismayed at how fast it took for the news to get around, but

"Well you have mine." Abby made a shooing gesture with her hands. "Now go, I have work to do."

Gibbs shook his head as he stepped into the elevator. As the doors shut, he took a sip of his coffee and smiled.

_Joe sat in his rented SVU across the street from Maggie's school. He'd told the old man he wanted to drive down ahead of him and have some time with Maggie. Stupid fool bought it, even gave up Maggie's address. Joe followed Maggie from a distance and found out where she worked. He parked down the street from her house and watched as a grey pickup pulled into the driveway and a guy got out. Whoever it was, Maggie was obviously sleeping with. The guy went in around 7pm and stayed until 6 in the morning. Joe wanted to see what kind of guy he was so he snuck down the street and tried to get into the house._

Gibbs spent a few nights a week at Maggie's now. Like tonight, he'd managed to clear out of the office by 6. Maggie had called him earlier to tell him she was making grilled lobster tails and Gibbs wasn't about to turn that offer down. When he parked the truck in the driveway he felt the hair stand up on his neck. He thought someone was watching him. After dinner, they took the dog for a walk. The only thing that looked out of place was a white panel truck with a painter's logo on the side.

"The Dole's must have hired a painter." Maggie commented when she saw the van down the street. Gibbs asked how Maggie knew that. "I saw Mr. Dole at Lowe's. He was trying to picking up paint samples for his wife to look at."

Somewhere around one in the morning, Gibbs woke to Freckles growling from her bed in the corner of the corner of the bedroom. Maggie heard it too and leaned up on her arm.

"Gibbs?"

"I'll go take a look." Gibbs climbed out of bed and pulled his jeans on. "Stay here." He told Maggie as he picked up his gun and walked quietly out of the room and down the stairs. Freckles was now at the kitchen door, the fur on her back raised as her low growl continued. Gibbs checked the door, it was still locked. The sound of a garbage can rattling made Freckles growl louder.

"Quiet girl." Gibbs told the dog and flipped the switch for the flood lights for the back yard. He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, his gun down at his side. Freckles stayed next to Gibbs, waiting for the command to run off the porch. Gibbs peered into darkness next to the garage and the sound of the trash can came again. Before Freckles could start barking, a large raccoon stepped into the edge of the light.

"Just a raccoon girl." Gibbs patted Freckles head. "Thanks for the alarm though." Gibbs stepped back into the house, have Freckles a treat, locked the back door and then checked the front door before going back upstairs.

"Anything?" Maggie asked as she sat up in bed waiting for Gibbs to come back.

"Raccoon." Gibbs put his gun back in the nightstand drawer and took his jeans off.

"She never growled at a raccoon before." Maggie commented as Gibbs got back into bed and she settled into his side again.

Gibbs didn't say anything. He saw the raccoon with his own eyes, but his gut was unsettled.

_Joe saw the man when he came out of the house. When did Maggie get into older guys was the first thing he thought. He also knew the guy had to be a cop, he had a gun. The next night he followed her to what had to be the guy's house. He fought the urge to go into that house and drag her cheating lying ass out of the house after he beat the shit out of the guy she was fooling around with. But he calmed himself. He'd been planning this for over a month, he wasn't going to screw things up now. He waited all night and watched the house. He followed her back to her house where she dropped off the mutt and then went to work. He checked his watch and knew she had an hour before she'd be leaving for home. Putting the car into gear, he left the school and went to make sure everything was ready._

McGee paced outside of MTAC, waiting patiently for Gibbs and Tony to come out. He looked back down into the bullpen where Ziva was buying McGee some time. This was not good. His gut was screaming something was wrong and when Gibbs and Tony found out, all hell was going to break loose.

"McGee." Gibbs stated when he came out of the steel door.

"Boss," McGee began. "We have a problem."

Gibbs stopped and turned to face McGee and waited for him to continue. McGee just tipped his head in the direction of the bullpen. Gibbs leaned over to see what McGee was gesturing at. He closed his eyes and cursed quietly.

"What's going on Probie?" Tony asked as he joined McGee and Gibbs at the railing. "Oh crap, this can't be good."

"Junior!"

Tony looked over at Gibbs who was staring down at Anthony Sr. who was talking to Ziva.

"What is my father doing here?" Tony asked no one in particular.

"My thoughts exactly." Gibbs walked behind his two agents and down the stairs.

"Gibbs, how are you?" Senior asked happily. "McGee, I wondered where you ran off to in such a hurry. Ah, and Junior. Perfect. Where is she?"

"Where is who?" Tony asked his father.

"Maggie?"

Gibbs head shot up from the paper he was pretending to read at his desk.

"Why would Maggie be here?" Tony wanted to know.

"They were supposed to meet me here."

"Dad, what are you talking about? Who is 'they'?" Tony's gut was starting to panic.

"Maggie and her boyfriend."

"Dad, who are you talking about?" Tony said cautiously. There was no way his father knew about Gibbs and Maggie.

"I met Maggie's boyfriend up in Boston. Joe Antonelli, nice guy by the way. He said he and Maggie had an argument before she left Boston and she wouldn't tell him where she was moving too. We were supposed to take the train down together, but he came down a few days early. He wanted to make up with her first. He called me to say that he was going to pick her up and we were all going to go out to dinner. We were going to meet up here." Senior said in a voice that showed he was so pleased with himself.

Gibbs was already dialing Maggie's cell phone. She had mentioned this guy Joe to him. He knew that whatever Joe was now he was not her boyfriend and if he was in town, Maggie was in trouble.

"Boss?" Tony called from his desk.

"No answer." He handed McGee his cell phone. "McGee, see if you can find where she is."

"On it boss." McGee answered even though he was confused.

"Tony, take Senior to the conference room." Gibbs looked at his watch. "Call Maggie's school and see if she's still there."

Gibbs followed Tony and his father to the conference room.

"Tell me everything from the beginning Dad." Tony was saying as Gibbs came into the room.

Senior sat down in one of the chairs and looked from his son to Gibbs.

"Something is wrong. I can tell by the looks on your faces." Senior stammered.

"Dad, Maggie does have a boyfriend, but it's not Joe Antonelli."

"Joe's not her boyfriend?"

Gibbs stood by the door, his hands clenching into fists. He was trying to keep his calm, but it was quickly sliding away.

"Dad, focus." Tony handed his father a cup of water. "How do you know Joe Antonelli?"

Senior sipped his water before he answered.

"I ran into him at a hotel in Boston. He came up to me and introduced himself as Maggie's former boyfriend. Told me they'd had a falling out and he wanted to find her and repair things between them. He seemed like such a nice guy. Really in love with her."

"Dad, Maggie had a restraining order against the guy. He was part of the reason she left Boston, to get away from him."

"You haven't had anything to do with your daughter in years and suddenly you're playing matchmaker and bringing this guy to D.C.?" Gibbs fumed from the door.

"How do you know how long it's been since I've seen Maggie?" Senior demanded.

Gibbs closed the distance from the door to the table in two steps and slammed his hands down on the table. "Because I'm Maggie's the one Maggie is involved with and I know exactly how she feels about you."

Ziva hung up the phone. "Gibbs is not going to like this."

"Like what Ziva." Gibbs responded as he came back from the conference room.

"I spoke to the school. Maggie left over two hours ago and there is no answer on her house phone." Ziva looked up to see Tony and an obviously worried Senior walking from the conference room.

"Maybe she went running?" Ziva offered. "I did not see her this morning running and she told me if she does not run in the morning then she runs after school."

"Her cell phone says she is at home." McGee turned the map on the plasma screen showing Maggie's cellphone gps location.

Gibbs grabbed his gun and badge from his desk as well as his jacket and keys and took off for the elevator. The rest of the team stood up as well and grabbed their stuff. Gibbs stopped and looked at them.

"We are coming with you. If something has happened to Maggie you will need us." Ziva walked past Gibbs into the elevator followed by McGee, Tony and Senior.

Gibbs pressed the button to close the doors and hoped that the worst he would find is that Maggie was in the garage working on something.

Gibbs' car screeched to a halt in front of Maggie's house. His gut was screaming now. Something was most definitely wrong. McGee and Ziva followed Gibbs up to Maggie's front door. It was locked. Tony and Senior arrived in a second car.

"Dad, stay here. DO NOT move." Tony warned him.

Moving cautiously around the side of the house, they walked by Maggie's car. Gibbs felt the hood and it was cold.

"Boss." McGee said quietly and pointed toward the steps leading up to the back porch.

A pink nylon leash was hanging from the post, the end clearly chewed off. Gibbs picked up the edge and examined it. Freckles had chewed herself free from the leash so frantically that there were traces of blood on it.

A noise came from the side of the garage. All four agents drew their weapons. Gibbs and McGee went in one direction, Ziva and Tony in the other. They slowly moved around the garage. The sound came again closer to Gibbs and McGee. Gibbs pointed to the garbage cans located on their side of the garage.

"Federal officers, show yourself." Gibbs yelled.

Slowly Freckles front paws moved out from behind the garbage cans. Gibbs holstered his gun and moved over to the dog who was now whining.

"Who did this to her?" McGee said as he put his weapon away and moved the garbage cans for Gibbs to get closer to the dog.

The right rear leg of the dog was covered in blood. Gibbs touched it gingerly making the dog cry out. Someone had shot the dog.

"Call the local LEOs and get Ducky. Palmer worked as a vet, he'll know where to take the dog." Gibbs picked the dog up carefully and carried her out to the back yard and placed her down.

"Gibbs. Over here." The sun had begun to go down so Ziva used her flash light to shine into the bushes on the side of the garage. Gibbs saw Maggie's cell phone and there was blood on it.

_Maggie didn't know how long she had been in the vehicle. Whoever had taken her was being very quiet. She couldn't hear a radio or even the sound of blinkers when a corner was taken. She wiggled her hands and tried to free them. But whoever took her used police type zip ties on her hands and feet. She moved her body back and forth to see if her phone was still in her pocket, but she couldn't feel it. She was scared and all she could think of was would Gibbs find out she was gone. Would he find her?_

"Gibbs." Vance tried to get through to his agent. "Gibbs, look at me."

Gibbs was looking down at Maggie's phone which was now in an evidence bag. Because Maggie was the family member of an agent, Director Vance had used his pull and taken over the case from the LEOs. But there had to be a condition. Neither Gibbs nor Tony could be involved. They had to step back.

"I'm not going to recuse myself." Gibbs snapped.

"Not asking you to do that Gibbs." Vance informed him. "But you are going to let someone else take lead."

Gibbs put the phone back on the table and squared his shoulders while looking Vance straight in the eyes. Tony couldn't take lead and McGee and Ziva were too close to Maggie as well.

"Who." Gibbs demanded.

"Me."

Gibbs and Vance turned to see Fornell coming around Ziva's desk.

"Not an FBI case." Gibbs stated.

"It's a kidnapping that may or may not go over state lines." Fornell began. "And she is family of a federal agent. Tony's not Navy."

"He's NCIS." Gibbs reminded him.

"Which makes him a federal agent and I'm taking lead." Fornell knew it wasn't going to be easy. "Meeting." He ordered Gibbs to follow him to their regular meeting place.

Gibbs followed Fornell to the elevator in the back. When they stepped in and pressed the basement level to go see Abby, Fornell flipped the stop switch and the elevator stopped. Fornell turned to face Gibbs who was staring straight ahead.

"Jethro, let me do my job. I won't leave you out, but you have to let me take the lead on this."

Fornell looked at his friend for a long moment. Gibbs looked tired. Tired and scared. Gibbs would never say it out loud, but he was scared for Maggie. Taking a deep breath, Gibbs finally turned to face Fornell.

"Completely in the loop." Gibbs stated. "Nothing kept from me."

Fornell nodded and turned the elevator switch back on.

"Where's DiNozzo?" Fornell inquired.

"Keeping his father as far away from me as possible." Gibbs grunted.

"What the hell made him tell this guy where Maggie lived?"

"I have no idea." Gibbs answered as they stepped out of the elevator in front of Abby's lab.

"Gibbs." Abby called out as she ran over and hugged her boss tight. "It'll be all right. We'll find her."

Gibbs didn't respond as he untangled himself from Abby.

"What do we have?" Gibbs asked.

Fornell cleared his throat to remind Gibbs who was in charge. Abby looked at Gibbs questioningly and then turned to Fornell.

"The blood on the phone is Maggie's." Abby began telling Fornell as she watched Gibbs out of the corner of her eye. "McGee…"

"Is right here." McGee answered as he walked into the lab carrying Maggie's cell phone.

"McGee and I are going to try something with Maggie's phone."

"What." Fornell asked.

"Maggie wore a special running watch." McGee began. "She showed it to me the night we went out. It's like a mini-iPod that plays music and tracks where she runs and how far and …"

"McGee." Gibbs stopped the young agent from rambling on.

"And Boss, if she was out running tonight, then she'll have the watch on."

"And." Fornell added.

"Well if she has the watch on there is a gps in it and hopefully it will tell us where she is."

"Gibbs, did you check her house to see if she had it on?"

"I know what it looks like Boss, I can go check." McGee offered.

"Hell Tobias, we don't even know if she was out running. She could have just been walking the dog."

Abby mumbled something under her breath.

"Did you have something to add Miss Sciuto?" Fornell asked.

"I can't believe the dirt bag shot the dog." She answered.

"How is the dog?" Gibbs had put the dog in the back of his mind. Once Palmer came to the house he took the dog to autopsy to dig the bullet out. Gibbs hoped that was the only bullet that this guy had shot.

"Dog is fine." Jimmy Palmer said as he came into the lab carrying the specimen jar with the bullet he removed from the dog. "Bullet did minimal damage, but she's still sedated."

"Don't worry Gibbs, I'll stay with Freckles." Abby told him.

Gibbs walked over to Palmer and took the bullet from him. He held it up to look at it. Fornell took it away from him and handed it to Abby.

"Gibbs, take Ziva, go over to Maggie's and see if the watch thingy McGee needs is at her place. It wouldn't be at yours would it?"

"No. I know the watch you're talking about, but she didn't have it on the last time she was at my place, so it wouldn't be there."

"Go. Get Ziva and see if you can find out if she was out running." Fornell gave Gibbs a gentle nudge to the door. "We've got things covered here. There's a BOLO out on Antonelli and my agents are questioning the neighbors."

Reluctantly Gibbs left to get Ziva.

McGee waited until he heard the elevator bells ding.

"You know we really don't need Gibbs and Ziva to look for the watch." McGee asked Fornell.

"We know where she runs, we can check the traffic cams in the area." Abby added.

"And you will. I needed Gibbs to do something and he needed to do something. And Ziva can keep an eye on him and stop him from heading off on his own."

McGee nodded and brought up the traffic cams around the route where Maggie ran.

_Maggie struggled to open her eyes. When the truck finally stopped, her silent captor opened the back door and lifted the corner of the tarp covering her. She tried to kick out at him but he was strong and pinned her feet back down and she felt the sharp prick of a needle and the world faded to black again. She knew she was no longer in the truck. The surface she was lying on was softer and she sensed she was inside now. Where ever she was, there was heat on and she could hear the sound of rain hitting a metal roof. Her hands and feet were still bound and her mouth still covered with duct tape. Whatever her captor had used to knock her out was making her have a hard time focusing. Slowly the world around her came into focus._

_She could tell she was in a room of some kind of basement room. The windows were high in the wall and covered with dirt and grime. Very little outside light made it through the window. The only other light in the room was a bare bulb hanging from a cord in the ceiling. The only other furnishings in the room were a chair in the far corner and up in the corner of a room, a video camera with a red light blinking on it telling her someone was watching her._

_The door suddenly opened up and Maggie blinked at the bright light shining into the room, keeping her captors identity hidden._

_"Hello Princess." The voice hissed._

_Maggie realized that Joe Antonelli was her captor._

_Maggie felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. She opened her eyes and tried to focus. Her hands and feet were bound and there was duct tape across her mouth. She tried to figure out where she was. The sudden lurching movement told her she was in a truck of some kind with a tarp over her. How did she get there? Slowly it came back to her. She was just getting back to her house from her run, she was pacing the length of her driveway to bring her heart rate down. Freckles kept trying to pull away from her. A sound by the garage caught her attention. She looped Freckles leash to the porch railing and went to investigate._

_"Hello Bitch." Was all she heard before something hard came down on her head._

When they got to Maggie's house, an FBI agent was standing on the front porch waiting for them.

"Special Agent Gibbs, Agent Fornell said you would be searching the house."

Gibbs took Maggie's keys from his pocket and looked down at them in his hand. The was two house keys, one for the front and one for the back, a key to the garage door, her car key and a bunch of those little cards that stores used to get your business. He teased her when he saw how many she had already accumulated since she'd moved down here.

"Do you need anything else sir?" the agent asked.

"We are fine. Thank you." Ziva began as Gibbs moved past the agent and unlocked the door. "Have you finished talking to the neighbors yet?"

"Yes ma'am. We have a description and partial plate on the vehicle and we called it in to Agent McGee."

Gibbs didn't comment so Ziva thanked the agent and followed Gibbs into Maggie's home.

"I will go look for the sneakers. I believe I know what they look like." Ziva informed Gibbs. Before they left the office, Vance told Ziva to keep an eye on Gibbs, he was being too quiet and Vance worried Gibbs would go off on his own.

"So you took his word at face value?" Fornell rubbed his forehead as he sat with Tony and Senior in the conference room going over every detail from the first conversation to the last that Senior had with Joe.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because Dad, you and Maggie haven't had any contact in years." Tony snapped. He wanted to be out in the bullpen running down leads, but Vance told him he had to stay with his father.

"Why haven't you and your daughter spoken in so long?" Fornell asked.

"Is that really important? Is that going to help you find Maggie?" Senior questioned.

"It may explain how Antonelli used you to find her." Fornell urged.

"My daughter doesn't think very highly of me." Senior began. "And our relationship has been strained through the years."

"To say the least." Tony said under his breath as he paced by the windows.

"Junior." Senior warned.

"Dad, a total stranger comes up to you in a fancy hotel bathroom and knows who you are. That doesn't sound funny to you."

"I've met lots of people I can't remember. He knew I was Maggie's father so I just assumed…"

"And what do you always say about assuming. It makes an ass out of you and me."

Fornell slammed his hand on the table to get their attention.

"So Antonelli knew you were at this hotel and he approached you in the bathroom. What happened next."

"As you can imagine, I haven't heard much from Maggie since her husband died and Joe filled me in on how they had dated and had a falling out and he wanted to set things straight between them and offered to help bring us together."

Tony snorted. "And that's something I couldn't have done."

"Would you? Would you have tried to bring Maggie and me back together? At least get her to talk to me?"

"Dad, after everything you've done, do you really think it would be that easy to solve."

"DiNozzos focus please." Fornell was getting impatient. "What happened after that?"

"Well I knew that Maggie was in the DC area because of Junior."

"Don't you dare try to turn this on me." Tony warned his father.

"I'm not. But if you hadn't mentioned it I wouldn't have known would I?" Senior told him. "I gave Joe the number of the hotel I was staying at and he said he'd be in contact with me. I didn't hear from him for about a week or so and then he called and said he'd arranged transportation down to DC me and that he was coming down a few days early to take care of some business."

"Did he say what that business was?" Fornell questioned.

"No. I didn't hear from him again until earlier today and he told me to meet him here."

"I never gave you Maggie's address Dad. I only told you she lived in the DC area." Tony reminded his father.

"Wouldn't have been hard to find after that DiNozzo." Fornell told Tony. "Maggie wasn't trying to hide."

Gibbs stood in the doorway of Maggie's bedroom. His mind flooded with images of Maggie in this room. Together they had managed to paint her room and he had helped her gut out the small closet and make it bigger. He walked over to the bed and picked up a scarf she had left on the bottom of it. He brought it to his nose and inhaled her perfume. On the nightstand next to the side of the bed she slept on was her Kindle thingy that she used to read. He had teased her about using a mini computer to read a book when there was nothing better than a real book that you turned the pages and could dog ear the corners.

He walked over to her bureau. On its top was a framed picture of her son as a baby and one of her and Tony when they were little. There was a small silver bowl where she put her jewelry that she wore every day. The only things in it were her regular watch and a pair of simple silver earrings. The watch she wore to run wasn't here. Nothing in the house looked disrupted as if someone had broken into the house and she'd surprised them.

Ziva looked in the kitchen, foyer and back porch and could not find Maggie's running sneakers. She knew they would not be there. McGee had texted her to say they had seen images of her running her normal route when they searched the traffic cams. So if Maggie had been running she had her watch on and maybe they could track her.

She decided to double check the downstairs to see if the FBI agents had missed anything. The kitchen seemed undisturbed. There was a coffee mug in the sink from this morning and Maggie's purse and school bag were on the island. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary there. Ziva was just about to go into the living room when the front door burst open making Ziva draw her weapon.

"Mom!"

Gibbs heard the yell coming from down stairs and ran down from the bedroom.

"Stop. Federal agents." Ziva advanced from the kitchen, her weapon drawn. "Who are you?"

"Lance Corporal Jamie Sullivan. This is my mother's house. Who are you?"

Gibbs came down the stairs and told Ziva to stand down.

"Lance Corporal Sullivan, I'm Special Agent Jethro Gibbs and this is Agent Ziva David."

"Sir." Jamie looked at Gibbs. "You're the man my mother is dating?" Maggie and Gibbs had just decided it was time for Gibbs and Jamie to meet. This was not the way either of them had imagined it.

"Yeah, I am." Gibbs shook the young man's hand. Gibbs could see so much of his mother in Jamie and Tony too in the way he carried himself.

"Agent Gibbs," Jamie began.

"Please, just Gibbs."

"Gibbs, what is going on? The FBI showed up on base and my CO told me that my mother had been kidnapped."

"Come in the kitchen and sit down." Gibbs caught himself before he said 'son'. "Want something to drink? I know your mother keeps the soda hidden in the back of the fridge."

"Her secret stash." Jamie smiled wanly at his mother's not so secret stash. "Gibbs, the FBI didn't say much beyond she was kidnapped. Please tell me what is going on."

"Gibbs, I'm going to talk to the agents about the interviews." Ziva said placing two Cokes on the table and leaving to give Gibbs and Jamie a few moments.

"Your mother was kidnapped earlier tonight by a man named Joe Antonelli. Have you heard of him?"

"Heard of him? Hell yes." Jamie stopped himself. "Sorry sir…Gibbs. Antonelli dated my mother and when she ended it with him he began stalking her."

"She told me that she had a restraining order out on him and that he would open her mail and accuses her of cheating on him."

"That man was…I can't even think of a word to call him." Jamie admitted.

"Oh I can." Gibbs smirked. "Tell me about him."

"I don't know how they met, but they went out a few times and when I met him I didn't like him automatically. Something in my gut told me he was no good."

"Trust your gut huh?"

"Yes sir. Hasn't done me wrong yet."

"What did Antonelli do for a living?" Gibbs asked.

"Not sure, I think he was in construction. He didn't have a lot of money but he liked to brag about his connections."

"Mob?"

Jamie shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. But the guy had a temper and if he was drinking it was even worse."

Gibbs gritted his teeth. "Did he ever get violent with your mother?"

"She never said outright, but one night, the last night she went out with him she came home and I could tell something was wrong. She was favoring her neck and kept it covered up like she was trying to hide something from me. It was after that she dumped him. Then the stalking started."

"That when she got the restraining order?"

"Yeah. Joe started following her everywhere she went. He'd be outside the house at night, calling from his cell at all hours. If Mom talked to a guy, even if it was the just the UPS guy, he'd say she was being a slut and cheating on him."

Gibbs nodded.

"The restraining order didn't work, if it said he had to stay 300 yards away, he'd follow her at 301 yards. My dad's old cop buddies did what they could. If Mom started dating someone else, Joe would start harassing the guy until he chased him off."

"So when you got transferred down here…" Gibbs started.

"I told her to move down too. Uncle Tony is here and her friends all hated Joe so no one would tell her where she went. She even sold the house with most of the furnishings in it so she wouldn't have to hire a moving company that he could bribe."

Gibbs smirked; Maggie was smart.

"Gibbs, are we going to find her?"

"Yeah. We'll find her." He only hoped that this nutjob Antonelli wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

_"Joe." Maggie croaked out after he ripped the duct tape off her mouth "Why? What do you want from me?"_

_Joe ran his fingers down the side of Maggie's face, down her neck and down the front of her chest making her nauseous. His fingers stopped on the zipper of her running jacket and he tugged it down until it was completely unzipped. Underneath her running jacket all she had on was a tank top and sports bra._

_"Your new boyfriend let you go out running dressed like this? He knows you only wear things like this to make other men crazy? Just like you did when we were together?"_

_When Maggie didn't answer, Joe reached up quickly and squeezed her neck with his hand. _

_"Answer me bitch. Does he know what you're really like?"_

_Maggie couldn't breathe, his fingers were squeezing her as she fought to get air into her lungs. He suddenly let go and slapped her hard across the face. Maggie started coughing as she tried to breathe again. Before she could say anything else, Joe got up and left the room slamming the door behind him and Maggie heard him lock the other side._

"Anything new?" Gibbs asked as he walked back into the bullpen with Jamie following him.

"Jamie?" Tony was startled to see his nephew walking behind Gibbs. He got up and hugged Jamie then put his hands on Jamie's shoulders. "We'll find this bastard, don't worry."

"I'm not Uncle Tony."

"Uncle Tony?" Fornell repeated from Gibbs' desk which Gibbs was gesturing that he had to get up from.

"Tobias Fornell, this is Lance Corporal Jamie Sullivan, my nephew." Tony said proudly.

"Lance Corporal Sullivan." Fornell shook the young marine's hand. Standing next to Tony, Fornell could see the DiNozzo family resemblance.

"Do you have anything Agent Fornell?" Jamie wanted to know.

"Agent David?" Fornell asked Ziva who had returned with Gibbs and Jamie.

"Maggie's neighbor, Mr. Oliver Martech said he had noticed a strange car outside of your mother's house earlier in the day. It was gone by the time your mother got home, but when he was out on his nightly 'constitution' he saw the truck on the next street. He got the make, model and color and wrote down the plates."

"Did he say it was a white panel truck with a painter's name on the side?" Gibbs commented. Ziva nodded. She had not given him that information.

"No. It was not." Ziva told him. "Did you see one?"

"Yeah. A few nights ago. Saw it while we were out walking the dog." Gibbs answered. "Same night we heard something in the back yard."

"Did you see anyone Boss?" Tony asked. Gibbs didn't answer.

"I ran the plates Boss." McGee looked at Gibbs over his computer. Fornell stepped into McGee's line of vision to remind him who he was reporting too.

"Sorry." McGee corrected himself before continuing. "The plates are stolen as is the truck, a Chevy Suburban that was stolen in Maryland and the plates came from Virginia. Local LEOs found the truck abandoned about an hour out of DC here." McGee clicked on the plasma screen and showed the truck sitting abandoned in a truck stop.

"He must have moved her into another truck. Earlier tapes show a white panel van leaving the truck stop about 15 minutes after the suburban was left there." McGee looked up "Like the one you saw."

"Do we have any footage?" Gibbs walked over to the plasma and looked at it.

McGee looked at Fornell and when he didn't put the images up right away, Gibbs got impatient.

"Well? Do we?" Gibbs barked.

Fornell nodded at McGee.

"We do Boss."

Gibbs watched as the tape rolled and Antonelli took an unconscious Maggie out of the rear of the Suburban and tossed her over his shoulder. He walked with her to the white panel van which was just under the video camera.

"Do we have a better angle?" Gibbs asked. The only part of the van showing was the tail end so that you could see the doors open and see Maggie thrown into the van and it looked like she was being covered with something, then the doors were shut and the van disappeared from view.

"That's it?" Gibbs asked.

"So far." McGee told him. "The footage was taken just outside of Frederick, MD."

"Any info on the white van?" Fornell added.

"I'm running recognition software for white vans on the highway cameras now."

"There are a lot of white vans." Jamie commented from where he was watching the plasma screen.

Gibbs, Fornell, McGee and Tony turned to look at Jamie. For all the young man's Marine discipline, the fear for his mother was beginning to show.

"Jamie, come with me, I'll get you something to drink." Tony steered Jamie away from the screen.

"I'm fine Uncle Tony."

"That wasn't a choice Jamie." Tony leaned in and whispered in his ear. Too many men in one room worrying about Maggie was going to get ugly soon.

Tony brought Jamie to the vending machines and made him sit down. He poured a cup of black coffee for Jamie and a cup of ½ decaf ½ regular for himself and brought them both to the table.

"How did you know how I like my coffee?" Jamie asked as he looked down into the cup.

"You're your parent's child and you're a Marine. Most of the Marines I know drink their coffee black."

"Like Gibbs?"

Tony smiled, he realized that this was the first time Jamie had met Gibbs.

"Yeah, like Gibbs." He told his nephew.

"Gibbs a good guy?" Jamie wanted to know.

"The best." Tony answered honestly.

"Is he good for my mother?"

Tony read a lot into that question. Jamie would never think anyone was as good as his father had been; even Tony would have to agree there.

"Yeah, Gibbs is good for your mother and she's good for him." Tony began. "Look Jamie, no one will ever replace your father. He was as good as they get, but Gibbs. Gibbs is a great guy too. They don't come like Gibbs anymore. He's old school, hell he doesn't even have cable television or the Internet at home. He may be hard to get to know and he doesn't let many people inside that tough Gary Cooper outside, but he'll go above and beyond for those people he cares about. Don't tell anyone but if they hadn't met on their own, I would have tried to fix them up. They are good for each other."

Gibbs stood around the corner from where Tony and Jamie sat. He heard what Tony said about his relationship with Maggie and that he'd wanted them together before he knew they were together. He turned around and went back to his desk. He didn't want to interrupt the moment between the two.

"Good. Now we just need to get her back." Jamie said and took a sip of his coffee.

"Junior? Is this who I think it is?"

Tony and Jamie looked up as Senior walked over to the table.

"Oh my God, it has to be." Senior looked down at the young man with the Marine haircut and uniform. "You look just like Junior did at that age."

"Dad, not now." Tony stood up.

Jamie looked at his Uncle and the man who had just walked over. He'd never met his maternal grandfather. The only one he'd known was the man who raised his mother, her step-father. Jamie knew there was history between his mother and her biological father, but he'd always had a curiosity about the man.

"Lance Corporal Jamie Sullivan." Jamie said as he stood and offered his hand to Senior. "Nice to finally meet you sir."

"You know who I am?" Senior said as he shook his grandson's hand.

"Yes sir. I've seen pictures of you."

Senior and Tony gave Jamie surprised looks.

"Your mother has pictures of me?" Senior asked.

Jamie smiled. "No sir, I looked you up on the Internet."

"Tony, we need you for a second." McGee came over and told Tony.

Tony was hesitant to leave Senior and Jamie alone, but he wanted to find out what McGee had found. He walked over to the agent who was escorting Senior in the building.

"Keep an eye on them."

"Junior stop worrying." Senior smiled as he sat down at the table with Jamie. "I would like a chance to get to know my grandson."

_How long had she been gone now Maggie wondered? It was just getting dark when she'd come back from her run and when she'd taken Freckles out around the block, it was even darker. The first time she woke up in this room, there was some light coming from the window and now it was dark again. She figured she'd been gone over 24 hours. She thought about the dog. She thought about Jamie. She thought about Gibbs. Would he know she was gone? They had gone more than 24 hours without talking when he was stuck on a case, but he'd text. Even if it was just a word or two just to keep contact. Maybe when she didn't text back he'd worry and come by the house._

_A key turned in the lock on the door and it swung open. Joe walked in with a bottle of water and a sandwich. He sat down on the chair and began to unwrap the sandwich. He said nothing, he just looked at her. Maggie just stared back. She was repulsed when his eyes moved slowly down her body and the way he'd lick his lips. Her stomach turned from thirst, hunger and disgust._

_"You know they'll find you." Maggie spat out._

_"Who? Your boyfriend? Your brother? Oh how about your rich daddy?"_

_"My rich daddy?"_

_Joe moved the chair closer to the cot and ran his fingers up and down her leg._

_"Your rich daddy DiNozzo. Did you know I found him?"_

_Maggie's face showed surprise._

_"Another secret you kept from me. You had a rich daddy." His palm came down sharply on her thigh causing Maggie to cry out in pain._

_"Scream out all you want you little whore. No one can here you out here. You'll pay for lying to me and hiding what belongs to me." Joe screamed at her._

_"What are you talking about?" Maggie asked._

_He responded by slapping her across the face hard._

_"You know exactly what I'm talking about."_

Tony joined the rest of the team in the bullpen. Up on the screen was Joe Antonelli's mug shot and rap sheet.

"Joseph Antonelli;" McGee began. "Arrested several times in his early 20's for breaking and entering and drunk driving. In 1995 got arrested for assault with a deadly weapon; in 1996 for attempted murder spent 8 years in jail after pleading out on a lesser charge; got out on a technicality. Started working for local Boston Mob in drug running."

"Sounds like a lovely guy." Ziva deadpanned. "How did Maggie get involved with him?"

"Beats me." Gibbs said quietly, he was thinking the same thing.

"And this is what I wanted to point out." McGee changed the screen. "Two years ago his name came up when Johnny Pavlek, a small time drug dealer who got caught made a deal with the Boston PD to name names. Especially about the drug sting that James Sullivan was working on when he died." McGee explained.

"James Sullivan and three other undercover detectives were trying to find out who was running drugs in and out of Boston's projects. They were getting close to finding out, apparently too close. The night the sting was supposed to go down, the money man, a Damien Ortiz got caught. The drugs were there but the money was never found. Pavlek said that Antonelli showed up to get the money wherever Ortiz had stashed it but it was gone."

"He thought James and the other cops had stolen it?" Tony was shocked.

"Don't know. What we do know if the three other officers who were part of the sting have all died suspiciously over the past few years. One in a car accident, one in a fire said to be caused by a house candle and one during a shootout."

"How was the last one considered suspicious?" Fornell questioned McGee.

"Because he was shot from a different direction than the actual shooting. The guns and bullets at the scene didn't match the bullet pulled from the body."

"Let me get this straight. James and three other Boston cops who were all in on the drug sting have died by unnatural causes." Tony began and McGee nodded. "Ortiz is in prison so he is off the list. This Johnny Pavlek turns evidence for the state and names Antonelli as the person who they were looking for."

"He also said that it was Antonelli who was the one who killed the cops."

"Can you get me in to see Pavlek?" Gibbs demanded of Fornell.

"No, but I can." Fornell flipped open his phone and began making calls for him and McGee to fly up to Boston and interview Pavlek.

"Boss…"

Gibbs knew how loaded that one word out of Tony's mouth was. If Antonelli had killed three men already thinking they had the money, then Maggie would be next.


	6. Chapter 6

Johnny Pavlek was a tiny weasel looking man. The orange jumpsuit he was wearing did nothing for his sallow complexion and greasy hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. His knee bounced nervously up and down while he sat across the table from McGee and Fornell.

"I told them everything there was to tell." Pavlek said.

"Tell me." Fornell began. "Antonelli thinks that one of the cops stole the money from the drug drop that night."

"S'what he told me. Said that one of Boston's finest was living of his money and he wanted it back."

"So he hunted them down?"

"Rumor has it that the cop who died in the house fire hated candles, so how did a candle set his house on fire? And the one in the accident, faulty brakes on a new car? I don't think so."

"And the cop in the shootout. The one where he was shot from behind."

"Just saying, dig deeper and see if Antonelli set that up."

"And James Sullivan?" Fornell pressed.

"He was shot during the raid. Antonelli figured that his share of the money, or hell all the money was hidden and Sullivan's widow knew where it was."

"So he started dating the widow."

"Yeah, sweet piece of ass she is."

McGee swore silently. If Gibbs had been here to hear that comment, Pavlek would be dead now.

"Watch it." Fornell threatened.

"Antonelli figured that tough tactics wouldn't work with her so he tried a different approach. But zebras can't change their spots and Antonelli liked to rough up women. She got smart and got the cops behind her. Then she sold her house and disappeared. Antonelli knew she didn't get full price for the house and knew she had the money. Once he set his sights on her, nothing else would stand in his way."

"It's a match Gibbs." Abby said unhappily. Knowing now that the bullet pulled out of Freckles matched the slug taken from the cop in Boston proved that Antonelli was the killer and Maggie was in a lot of trouble.

Gibbs nodded and stared at the image. Fornell had filled him in on the information from Pavlek. Antonelli thought that Maggie had his money and would go to any length to get it back. Gibbs turned to Abby and saw how tired she was. No one had left the building unless it was case related in almost 48 hours.

"Go home Abs." he kissed her on the cheek. "You look exhausted."

"And you look any better?" she told him. "I'll go home when you go home. Why don't you use my futon, you need sleep too."

"Nah, sleep is overrated." Gibbs told her as he left the lab. He took the elevator to the ground floor and stepped out into the daylight. He was surprised, he thought it was the middle of the night. He hadn't looked out a window in hours. He walked over to the coffee cart and stood in line to get his fix. Normally he would have walked down to his usual place, but he didn't want to be too far from the office. He ran his hands over his face, mildly surprised to feel the stubble on his chin and cheeks. It had been 48 hours since he'd been home and showered. 48 hours since he'd eaten a regular meal; more than that he'd realized. The last time he'd been home, Maggie had stayed over. She'd picked up pizza on her way over and he'd surprised her in the basement.

"Oh my God Gibbs! Where did you find it!" Maggie stared wide eyed at an old roll top desk sitting in the middle of Gibbs' basement.

"Driving home." Gibbs smiled as he took the pizza from Maggie and put it on the work bench next to the beers he'd already opened. He watched Maggie run her hands over the desk, opening and closing the little drawers. "You said you were looking for one."

"It's wicked." Maggie looked up, her smile wide. "It's perfect." Maggie stepped over to Gibbs and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love it."

They ate their pizza and drank the beer and discussed how they could restore the desk. Then they spent the next few hours taking the desk apart and taking all the hardware off of it so it could be cleaned. When they finished for the night, Maggie led Gibbs up the stairs to the bathroom where she began in the shower to thank Gibbs for the desk and she finished in the bedroom. As he held her while she slept, Gibbs couldn't believe how happy a woman could be for a gift she'd have to take apart and put back together.

_"I need to use the bathroom." Maggie told Joe. What she really needed was for him to untie her hands. She still had her running watch on and she hoped the damned thing was still charged._

_Joe approached the bed with a wicked looking knife._

_"Roll over." He told her._

_Maggie carefully rolled to her side and closed her eyes. Her plan had to work. She felt the cold steel of the knife slit the plastic ties and manage to knick her skin as well. Joe traced the tip of the knife down along Maggie's side, along her hip, down over her backside and down her leg. She felt the tie on her ankles snap as her feet were freed._

_Moving her hands in front of her she carefully slipped the watch off and into her jacket pocket while she rubbed her hands together to get the circulation going again._

_"What are you doing?" Joe demanded as he roughly grabbed her causing her to fall off the bed and on to the cement floor._

_"I can't feel my feet and hands; they've been tied up too long. I'm trying to get the blood flowing."_

_"That's all you better be doing or I'll show you another way I can get the blood flowing." He slipped the tip of the knife under her chin and tipped her face up to look at him. "Now get up." He yelled at her. "Or do I have to carry you to the bathroom and take your pants off for you."_

_Maggie held the vomit down and stood up. Her feet felt like a million needles were sticking into them as she willed her body to stand on its own. Joe pushed her out the door and into the small hallway. She was in a basement of a house. The stairs to the upper floor were in front of her; Joe pushed her in another direction._

_"Don't even think it. You'll be dead before the first stair." He warned her._

_Maggie was pushed into a smaller room that had a toilet and a sink._

_"You have two minutes." He told her._

_Maggie closed the door and looked up to make sure there were no cameras in there. She pulled down her pants and hoped the sounds of nature would mask what she was doing. Taking the watch from her pocket she pressed a few buttons and saw what she feared. She didn't have much power left. Moving her finger across the flat square screen she found her text button. She typed out the letters SOS and JOE and FIND ME and sent them to Gibbs and Tony and prayed it would go through. _

_"Times up." _

_Maggie finished her business and tucked her watch back into her pocket just as Joe opened the door._

_"Time for us to talk about the money." He said as he yanked her from the bathroom and dragged her back to the room._

When Gibbs came back to his desk he found a take-out container and a bottle of soda. Fornell next to the desk eating from his container.

"Eat Gibbs." Fornell told his friend as he sat down in his chair. "You haven't had anything but coffee for the past 48 hours."

"What are you my father now?" Gibbs commented as he opened up the container. Inside was a hamburger and fries. Gibbs closed the container and pushed it away. "Not hungry."

"You have to eat Gibbs." Ziva stood up from her desk and walked over to Gibbs. She opened up the container and put it in front of her boss again. "You getting run down will not help Maggie. You need your strength."

Gibbs looked from Ziva to Fornell to McGee who was eating some kind of burrito and over to Tony who was taking a bite of his own hamburger. Gibbs should be upset with his team ganging up on him, but he knew the three of them were just as worried about Maggie as he was, especially Tony. Tony hadn't left the office in 48 hours either. Senior had gone back to Tony's apartment and Jamie had been called back to base. There was nothing the young man could do now and Gibbs promised he'd call the second they had anything.

Gibbs grabbed his hamburger and took a healthy bite. "Happy now?"

"I'd be happier if you didn't talk with food in your mouth." Fornell commented.

Gibbs took another bite of his hamburger and was opening his soda when he felt his phone vibrate at his side. Tony's went off at the same time.

**_SOS_**

**_JOE_**

**_FIND ME_**

Flashed across their respective screens.

"McGEE!" both men yelled at the same time.

_"What are you talking about? What money?" Maggie was confused._

_"The money your thieving husband stole from me." Joe yelled at her as he grabbed her by the neck and held her in a strangle hold._

_"Joe never stole money from you. He never knew you." Maggie squeaked out as she tried to pry Joe's fingers from her neck._

_Joe got in Maggie's face. She could smell the cigarettes and booze on his breath._

_"Oh he knew He knew me well enough to believe me about the drug deal. That money was mine, but he got greedy and now you have what's mine and I'll get it one way or another." Joe took his free hand and grabbed the neck of Maggie's shirt and ripped it down exposing Maggie's running bra. Maggie tried to scream as Joe's free hand grabbed her breast and squeezed it hard. "You know me too. I'm the man who killed him."_

"Got it boss. Signal is weak, but I've got it narrowed down."

Fornell was already on the phone with his team ordering them to the area that McGee narrowed down. Three hours outside of DC in a remote wooded area. There were several abandoned houses there from a development deal that went bust.

"Gibbs you have to remember let me take the lead." Fornell warned him. "If you're gonna go all cowboy on me, I'm going to cuff you to the desk."

"Try it."

"You know I will Jethro." Fornell stood up to Gibbs. "We're smart about this or Maggie is dead." He continued bluntly to Gibbs. Fornell stepped back and told the rest of the team to gear up and told McGee to make sure an ambulance is there too.

_"You killed Joe."_

_"Yeah, him and his partners stole my money and I want it back. They thought I was their informant. Fuck that, I wanted the money. We had a deal, but when the bust went down, your scumbag husband only gave me informant pay. $100.00 fucking dollars." Joe spat out. "They had their hands on a cool million. And it went missing? Nah, I don't think so."_

_Joe shoved Maggie back down on the bed and tied her hands to the top. He ripped her shirt open all the way leaving her upper body exposed except for her running bra. Joe ran his hands over the front of it making Maggie gag. Joe's hand froze when he saw the small bruise just under the trim of the bra. Gibbs had been teasing her and gave her a hickey where no one would see it unless she exposed like she was now._

_"Boyfriend give you that? Something to think of him by?" Joe gritted out and brought the knife up to the mark. "How about I give you one too?"_

_Maggie screamed as the tip of Joe's knife made a small cut in her skin._

_"That's only part of what I'll do if you don't tell me where you put the money? No way you got a lot on that shithouse you had in Boston. You used the money to buy the house down here and since none of the others have it so I figured the bastard must have known where it was and since none of the others had wives, you were the last possible choice."_

_Maggie sat there stunned. Joe thought James had stolen money from him and Joe killed him._

_"Where is the money?"_

_"I have no idea." Maggie told him hoping he would believe her._

_Joe reached out and slapped her hard enough that she tasted blood in her mouth._

_"Try again." He told her._

_"Joe, I don't know what you're talking about."_

_Joe hit her again, this time with his fist, Maggie felt the room spin as another blow was delivered and she was knocked unconscious. Joe kicked the bed hard and slammed out of the room leaving Maggie slumped on the bed._

It was the longest three hours Gibbs had spent in a car. Fornell drove while Gibbs rode in the passenger seat while McGee was in the back working his magic on the laptop. He objected at first to not being allowed to drive, but realized that if he drove, they may have gotten in an accident and then what good would it be. Tony refused to be left behind to babysit his father and nephew, so he was in another car driven by Ziva.

"We will find her Tony."

"I know." He said quietly. "But will she be alive. That bastard has already killed 4 people and god knows what else he's done."

"All for money that does not exist." Ziva stated.

McGee had researched the evidence from that night. A rival drug dealer had gotten to the scene before the James and the other cops had gotten there and taken the money and most of the drugs. So all the murders had happened for no reason. The money had been gone all this time.

"Gibbs, just give my men a minute to check it out." Fornell told his friend. "Chances are the van is empty."

Two miles from the GPS location McGee had found, the caravan of cars racing to find Maggie came across a white panel van, similar to the one seen in the video footage.

"Just wait in the car." Fornell asked his friend.

"The hell I will." Gibbs barked as he barely waited for the car to come to a complete stop before jumping out.

"You really didn't think he was going to stay did you?" McGee asked from the back seat.

"No but I hoped."

The two other cars following Fornell's stopped behind and the other FBI agents and Ziva and Tony spread out and advanced on the van.

"Federal Agents." Fornell announced as they crept closer.

When there was no reply, Fornell motioned Ziva to get closer to the driver's side. Ziva approached cautiously along the side of the van and through the driver's side mirror, she could not see anyone in the van.

"No driver." She announced.

McGee confirmed the same as he crept down the passenger side of the van. Fornell motioned his two agents to the back of the van. Each agent put one hand on a handle, one on their guns. Gibbs and his team positioned themselves behind the van. Tony's heart slammed in his chest fearing that his sister would be in the back of the van.

Gibbs took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He nodded at Fornell who nodded at his men to open the door. Everyone tensed as the doors were pulled open, but there was no one inside the van.

"Clear." One of the agents announced.

Gibbs put his weapon away and walked over to the van. The first thing he saw was Maggie's running shoe. He reached out to pick it up but Ziva stopped him. He glared back at her until he saw she was handing him a glove to put on. Gibbs nodded.

McGee checked the front of the van while Ziva and the FBI agents checked the back where Maggie was kept.

"The only thing we can find is this tarp and the shoe." An agent informed Fornell.

"Nothing up front either. Just some water bottles." McGee had bagged them and handed them off to Fornell.

Gibbs was walking around the perimeter of the car. He bent down and noticed footsteps leading away from the van. One was a man's sized work boot, the other set of prints was of one sneaker, a right one and something smudged which would be Maggie walking with one sock on and one shoe on.

"Trail goes off this way Boss." Tony informed Gibbs. "Do we follow?"

"Hell yes we follow." Gibbs barked.

"Gibbs…" Fornell warned.

Gibbs turned and faced his friend; his eyes were hard as he stared at Fornell.

"We going to stand here and argue this or we going to follow the trail?" Gibbs fumed.

"We are going to follow the trail, but you are not going to lead." Fornell ordered and walked past Gibbs and took the lead.

_Maggie felt blood inside her mouth as she started to wake up. Her eye felt swollen from the punch Joe had delivered. Joe grabbed her neck and squeezed it again. Maggie's hands were tied so she could not pry his hands away._

_"Tell me where the money is you stupid fucking bitch."_

_Maggie struggled to get air in her lungs as Joe squeezed harder. He pulled her up and then slammed her head back down, the top of her head hitting the railing and Maggie felt the sting of a cut on her head._

_"I don't know." Maggie coughed out. She knew that Joe was dangerous in his current frame of mind. He told her how he had killed the other cops and knew that he would do the same to her. She had hoped upon hope that somehow Tony or Gibbs had gotten her text. If they got it to McGee, McGee would find where it came from. Gibbs said McGee could do anything with computers and Maggie sure hoped that Tim was as good as they said._

_"Still lying?" Joe fumed. "You must like the pain. Let's see how much." Joe slit the ropes at her wrist and yanked her off the bed to the floor where he kicked her hard in the hip. Maggie cried out in pain as he grabbed her and threw her against the wall. His hands squeezed around her neck. Maggie clawed at his hands trying to get him to release her. Joe was raging at her; his words not making any sense. She tried to kick at him as hard as she could. Joe released her and threw her face first on the bed._

_"I'll make sure you'll never forget me." Joe menaced as he began taking his belt off. "I'll be the last man you know before you die." He seethed as he undid the button on his pants._

The team squatted down in the bushes around the small house. McGee confirmed that Maggie's signal was weak but it was coming from inside. Slowly they made their way to the house. Gibbs checked the side windows. No one was visible inside, but there were signs of someone being there. Ziva and McGee checked the other side of the house and confirmed that no one was in the house.

Tony joined them and was about to tell them that there was no back door when they heard Maggie scream.

_"Scream all you want." Joe leered at her. "No one can hear…"_

"Federal Agents! Come out Antonelli with your hands up."

Maggie said her silent thank you while Joe stood up and listened.

"Not gonna happen." Joe said as he grabbed his gun and threw the door open. He took off up the stairs as the sound of a window breaking and a loud popping sound came from the floor above. Joe grabbed his gun as he coughed his way through the smoke of the flash bang and smashed a window out.

"I'll kill her before you take me." He yelled out and began firing through the widow. Gibbs and the team ducked for cover behind the trees and fired back.

Maggie didn't wait to see who would be coming down the stairs next. She dragged herself up; ignoring the pain she was in; and moved the chair over to the window. Joe was busy shooting at her rescuers and not watching her in the video monitor. She stood up to reach the window. For the past few days she'd been staring at that same window. She knew she could shimmy through it. The glass was only one pane thick; so Maggie took off her sweatshirt and wrapped her fist in it and ignoring the pain, she slammed her hand through the window as hard as she could. She hit the glass until all the shards were free and she pulled herself up and through the window. Glass cut at her body in places until she had pulled herself free.

The agents continued to fire on the house. Gibbs couldn't move from his position. Joe recognized Gibbs as the man Maggie was involved with and took his frustrations out in his directions. The angrier he got, the more crazed he got. The more crazed he got, the sloppier he got. Joe walked to another window and slammed the glass out with the butt of his gun. He began shooting blindly out the window, sweeping his shots left to right.

Gibbs froze; he knew what was going to happen next. He started yelling, but Antonelli was yelling himself, right up to the moment one of his shots went stray and hit the large propane tank next to the house.

The explosion knocked Maggie down. She felt the air rush from her lungs as the flames engulfed the house behind her. Slowly, she began to pull herself back up. She moved around the house and that is when she saw him. Gibbs was standing there in shock staring at the house.

"Gibbs." She cried weakly.

She willed her feet to move.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Gibbs felt her before he actually saw her. He turned to the back of the house. Maggie was staggering towards him. Her shirt hanging off her in shreds, her feet were bare and he saw blood on her face. Voices were yelling around him, calling out Maggie's name. He ran forward and caught Maggie in his arms just as her legs finally gave out. He brushed her hair off her face gently avoiding the cuts and bruises.

"Took you long enough." Maggie croaked hoarsely.

Gibbs smiled down at Maggie. "We stopped for coffee."

"Hope you got me some." Maggie coughed. "I could use one."

Gibbs shrugged his jacket off and wrapped it around Maggie. Anger welled up in him as he saw Maggie's swollen eye and the blood on her face and neck. He moved his hand to the back of her head and she winced. Pulling his hand away, he saw the blood on it. If Antonelli wasn't dead now, Gibbs was going to kill him.

Tony gave Maggie and Gibbs a minute before he joined them.

"Hey." Maggie said to Tony as she lay on the ground, Gibbs' jacket wrapped around her. Maggie was still shivering so Tony took his jacket off too and wrapped it around her legs.

"Hey yourself." Tony took Maggie's bruised hand in his. "Ambulance is on the way."

"Can't I just go home?" Maggie looked from Tony to Gibbs. " I need a shower."

"No. Hospital first." Gibbs still cradled the hand she had used to punch the window out with. It was starting to swell and he wanted to make sure she was okay in all other ways.

"Joe?"

Tony looked back at the burning house. The fire truck sirens were heard in the distance, but Tony didn't believe Joe survived the blast.

"Don't think he survived that."

"Good." Maggie started feeling the world spin around her. "Think I'll just shut my eyes for a bit." And knowing that she was safe; Gibbs found her and was at her side, Maggie let the pain take over and she passed out.

Gibbs reluctantly let Maggie go when the medics showed up. They transferred Maggie to a stretcher and covered her with blankets. Her IV's were being started when Ducky and Palmer showed up.

"You have no idea how grateful I abs m that we are not here for Maggie." Ducky said as he joined Gibbs as he walked next to the stretcher.

"Me too Duck."

"You want to ride along? We're taking her to Bethesda." The medic asked Gibbs. "You next of kin?"

"That would be me." Tony said as he joined Gibbs and Ducky; but he knew there was no way Gibbs wasn't going to go with Maggie. "I'll follow in my car."

Gibbs gave Tony a slight nod and climbed into the ambulance after Maggie was secure.

Tony and Ducky walked over to the still burning building. The fire department was putting it out and everyone else was waiting to do their job. McGee and Palmer stood next to their equipment while Ziva walked around the back of the house with Fornell and took pictures where they saw Maggie's trail.

"Any chance that bastard lived?" Tony asked Ducky.

"A blast like that, it is highly unlikely." Ducky answered. "But I know you and Gibbs won't be happy until you have definite answers. And I can't do that until we get the body back to Abby at the lab. So go to hospital with Gibbs Tony. I'll let you know as soon as we do."

Tony dotted his last 'I' and crossed his last 't' on the admitting forms for Maggie. As the only relative at the hospital, he was asked to fill out the forms. He was surprised at how much information he'd had to ask Gibbs for because he just didn't know things about Maggie. The basics were easy, birthday, height, weight – okay that one was a complete guess – but he was amazed at the fact that Gibbs knew Maggie's social security and her insurance. That was until he found out Gibbs had copied that information down during the investigation and stuck it in his wallet just in case he needed it.

"All yours now." Tony smiled at the young nurse behind the desk. He fought the urge to flirt a little with the pretty blonde when Maggie's attending doctor walked over to him.

"Mr. DiNozzo. I'm Dr. Candry." The man introduced himself as he shook Tony's hand.

"How is she?" Tony asked as they walked down the hall towards Maggie's room.

"She has a concussion, several lacerations and bruises, a cracked rib but no broken bones though." The doctor read the charts to Tony.

"What about…" Tony didn't want to ask if Joe had raped his sister, but he had to know. He saw Maggie's shirt had been ripped open when she came out of the house. There was a cut above her right breast and severe bruising too.

"Rape kit was negative. The man who kidnapped her beat her up and there was a cut on her left breast that a plastic surgeon can look at if she wants. No signs of abuse on her pelvic area or upper thighs." The doctor read from the chart.

They reached Maggie's room. Gibbs was sitting in a chair next to Maggie's bed. His hand held her free hand that wasn't bandaged. Maggie's face was covered in bruises; her eye was swollen shut and a butterfly band aid over her eyebrow. The ones on her body were covered by the hospital sheets on the bed. The hand print bruise on her breast was covered as well as the cut over it.

"When can she go home?" Tony asked while he looked at how small his sister looked in the bed.

"Sometime tomorrow or the day after, she was also severely dehydrated. I would like her more stable before I send her home."

Tony thanked the doctor and stepped quietly into the room.

"Did you call Jamie?" Gibbs spoke quietly so he wouldn't wake Maggie up.

"I did. He said he'd wait for you to say it's okay for him to come by. He didn't think he could handle seeing Maggie like this."

"She wouldn't want him to see her like this either." Gibbs agreed.

"Told him I'd have her call when she wakes up." Tony sat down in the other chair in the room. "Senior…"

"No." Gibbs cut Tony off before Tony could finish the sentence. "He cannot come and see her." Gibbs said evenly. Tony nodded. He'd thought as much and told his father he'd keep him updated.

"No. No way in hell." Gibbs added. "He's to blame for this."

Tony wanted to argue in his father's behalf. Senior was a lot of things, but not someone who would hand his daughter over to a psycho like Antonelli willingly.

Gibbs went back to looking at Maggie. His anger had only subsided some. Ducky was running tests with Abby to make sure the body in the fire was Antonelli's. Until he knew for sure the bastard was dead, he would not be happy.

"Do you need anything Boss?" Tony broke the silence. "Coffee?"

"No, I'm good." Gibbs responded and looked up at Tony.

"Oh my God."

Gibbs and Tony turned to the door where Abby was standing. Tears began to slide down her cheeks.

"Abs?" both men said at the same time.

"I thought you'd want the DNA results." She held the manila folder tight to her chest.

Tony walked over to hug Abby, seeing Maggie like this was clearly upsetting to her.

"You could have called." Gibbs wanted to go over and hug Abby himself, but was reluctant to let go of Maggie's hand.

"I wanted to see if there was anything I could do." Abby walked over to the foot of Maggie's bed and handed Gibbs the folder.

"I don't have my glasses." He informed her and handed the folder to Tony.

Tony looked at the folder and told Gibbs that the body in the fire was definitely Antonelli's and the rest of the anger inside Gibbs subsided. He focused his attention on Maggie and took her hand and kissed it gently not caring who was in the room to see him do that.

"I think I should go check on Senior." Tony replied. "Can you give me a ride home Abs?" Tony stood up and put car keys on the bed table. "You have the company car now Boss."

Abby walked over to Gibbs and gave him a kiss on the cheek before joining Tony at the door.

"Wait, Abs, there is something you can do for me." Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out Maggie's keys. "Can you go to her place and just throw some stuff in a bag for her. Then leave it at my place. You know what to get."

"Sure thing." Abby took the keys from him knew that Gibbs would rather she go through Maggie's personal things than have Tony do it.

She walked over to the other side of the bed and kissed Maggie on the top of the head.

The only time Gibbs left Maggie's side was when the nurse came in and gave him no choice. They needed to check her and made him leave. He got himself a cup of coffee from the vending machine and grabbed a magazine from the waiting room. Without his glasses, reading would be difficult, but at least he could look at the pictures in a magazine. When he was allowed back in the room, he took his seat again sitting in the chair next to the bed. He turned the chair so one arm rested on the bed while he held her hand. His fingers moved gingerly over the bruised skin on the back of her hand. The nurse had told him that she was resting comfortably and that they had given her a mild sedative to help her sleep. Gibbs watched the IV attached to the back of her hand drip down the tubing. She was dehydrated and the fluids would help.

Every once in a while Maggie would stir in her sleep. She murmured Gibbs name.

"I'm here Maggie. I'm right here." He would reach up and gently stroke her face until she fell back to sleep.

Eventually Gibbs tired of reading the magazine and leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Sleep over took him. He'd been awake from the moment they found out Maggie was taken. Within minutes, he was sound asleep in the chair. His dreams took him to the day he found out Shannon and Kelly had been killed. They took him to camping trips with them, to horseback riding on the beach, to reunions when he'd come home. And they finally took him to Shannon. She looked just as she had the last time he saw her standing in the driveway waving goodbye, her hair long around her shoulders, dressed in jeans and one of his Marine tee shirts.

_"It's time Gibbs." Dream Shannon addressed him._

_"Time for what?" he was confused._

_"It's time to let me go. It's time to love again. I like Maggie. Go, be happy with her."_

_Gibbs didn't understand what Dream Shannon was saying. She smiled at him and reached out to stroke his cheek._

_"Kelly and I are fine now. We want…no we need you to be happy. If you love Maggie, tell her. Be happy. It's all we ever wanted for you."_

_Gibbs felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see his daughter, forever 8 years old, smiling up at him._

_"Daddy, Maggie is nice. She makes you laugh. Really laugh, like I did."_

_Gibbs felt Kelly let go of his hand and take her mother's as they turned and walked away from him. He could still here Dream Shannon's voice in his head telling him to let go, be happy, and be in love again._

Maggie blinked her eyes open and looked around the room. She was out of the room Joe had kept her that much she knew. Looking down beside her, she saw Gibbs sleeping in the chair, one of his hands holding hers. She tried to say his name, but her throat was dry so she squeezed his hand with all the strength she could manage.

Gibbs' eyes flew open and he sat up in the chair.

"Hi." He smiled softly at Maggie letting go of her hand to cup her face between his hands.

Maggie mouthed the word water and he reached over to get the cup next to the bed. He took the straw and brought it to her mouth.

"Slowly." He told her as she sipped the water. "Better?" he asked.

Maggie took another sip and handed the cup back to him. He sat down on the bed next to her and ran his fingers over her face trying to avoid the bandages and bruises which wasn't easy.

"I must look like I got hit by a truck."

"Nah." He smiled at her. "I've seen worse."

"Liar." She reached up with her free hand and touched his face. "You look like hell."

"Trouble sleeping the past few nights." He grinned at her. "Been sleeping in my chair at work."

Maggie couldn't hold the tears back. She apologized as she cried.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I brought all this into your life." Maggie told him.

Gibbs brushed a tear away with his thumb.

"I don't like crying in front of anyone." Maggie tried to calm herself.

"I'm not just anyone am I?" he asked as he tipped her chin up so she'd look at him.

Maggie shook her head 'no' and sat up to let Gibbs hold her close. She flinched a little when his hand accidentally touched one of the bruises on her back. His hate for Antonelli grew again for the pain he had inflicted on Maggie.

"Gibbs, I want to go home." She whispered in his ear.

"Tomorrow. When the doc says it's okay. We'll go home."

Maggie slept again and when Jamie came by to stay with his mother, Gibbs ran home to take a quick shower and change his clothes. Maggie was awake and talking to Ziva when he got back.

"Can't this wait?" Gibbs asked as he saw Ziva close her notebook.

"I asked her to come Gibbs." Maggie explained. "I needed to get it all out while it was fresh."

Ziva got up to leave and Gibbs stepped outside with her.

"What did she tell you." Gibbs asked.

"He did not …. abuse her if that is what you are asking." Ziva answered.

Gibbs nodded and went back into the room.

"I'm jealous." Maggie told him as he sat down.

"Why?"

"You got to shower. I'd kill for one now." Maggie smiled as he took her hand in his. "But not here. I used that bathroom earlier. I want a real shower."

"I think I can arrange that." The doctor came in. "I know you are anxious to go home and I will let you, but you'll have to follow my orders completely."

"She will." Gibbs smiled at her. "I'll make sure of that."

Gibbs put another log into the fire while he juggled the phone in his ear.

"She's fine Dad. Banged up but fine." Gibbs told his father when he called him after he brought Maggie back to his house. "As soon as she's better. Maybe we'll come down…No you don't have to drive all the way here….Okay, I'll talk to you."

Hanging up the phone, Gibbs made sure the fire was burning enough and went into the kitchen. There wasn't any food in the house, not that he'd really been big on things like that. He started making a pot of coffee when he heard his front door open.

"Gibbs?" Abby called out to him.

"Kitchen Abs."

Abby put down the small duffle bag and shopping bag she'd brought with her. Gibbs had called her early in the morning and told her they were leaving the hospital and to meet them at his house.

"Did you get what I asked for?"

Abby saluted Gibbs. "Yes Sir."

Gibbs smiled at Abby. "Wrong hand Abby."

Abby corrected herself and saluted Gibbs again.

"Maggie upstairs?" she asked him.

"In the shower."

"I'll bring this stuff up to her." Abby started back to the hallway. "Oh, and Ducky was behind me."

"And I'm right here." Ducky's voice came from the door. "A little help would be nice."

Abby went upstairs to bring Maggie her things while Gibbs relieved Ducky of his packages.

"What's this?"

"Food." Ducky explained as Ziva came in with more bags.

"We thought you would be hungry and since we were all at the office and we were hungry.." Ziva started to explain.

"We decided to bring our meal to you." Ducky finished as he took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. "Now let's set the table."

"Maggie?" Abby called as she knocked on the slightly open bathroom door.

"One second Abby." Maggie replied as she turned off the hot water. She really hoped Gibbs liked cold showers since she was pretty sure she'd used all the hot water in the house. Gibbs told her to wait to take a shower since Abby was on her way with her shampoo and other toiletries, but Maggie didn't want to wait. She just wanted to wash the past few days away. Besides the smell of Ivory soap wasn't so bad on Gibbs, she'd live with it on her.

Once the water was turned off she reached for a towel and wrapped her body in it. Using a towel to wrap her hair proved to be a little harder. She couldn't move her arms easily and the pain made her groan.

"Maggie? Are you okay?" Abby asked again.

"I think I need some help." Maggie conceded.

The door slowly opened and Abby stepped in and closed it.

"Tell me what you need." Abby knew it would be difficult for Maggie to ask for help. She was a grown woman used to doing things on her own.

"My hair is dripping wet."

"That's not a problem. Here turn around." Abby took another towel and began to gently press the length of Maggie's hair to get the excess water out. Abby told Maggie that this was how her mother used to dry her hair when she was little. Maggie was happy to let Abby talk about her mother, it took her mind off the bruises that Abby could see visible on her arms and legs.

"Okay. Let's get you dressed. Gibbs had me go to your house and pick some stuff up for you." Abby led Maggie from the bathroom to the bedroom.

Abby helped Maggie dry off and put on underwear and sweatpants. Maggie tried to put a bra on but the straps and hooks fell at places where there were bruises.

"Hmm…" Abby wondered as Maggie sat on the edge of the bed with the towel still wrapped around her upper body. "Do you really need to put one on? You could just put a tee shirt on and one of Gibbs' sweatshirts over it. It's more about comfort right now than modesty."

Maggie agreed. Once she was dressed, they tackled the problem of Maggie's hair. Since Gibbs didn't own a blow drier, Maggie let Abby towel dry her hair and then comb it out. When Abby declared it dry enough, she braided it loosely for Maggie.

"There. Done." Abby stated as she helped Maggie stand up. "Oops, wait. One more thing." From the little extra bag she had with her Abby pulled out a pair of socks with hippos on them.

"I wanted to get you Bert slippers but they made too much noise." Abby explained as she helped Maggie with her socks.

"Bert?"

"My hippo. When you squeeze him he farts. It always makes me feel better."

Maggie smiled at Abby. She completely understood why Gibbs was so fond of her. After all she'd been through in the past few days and how his team had been there for him, Maggie understood how he felt about all of them.

They made their way slowly down the stairs to the entry way. Gibbs heard them talking and was waiting for them at the bottom.

"You feeling better?" he asked Maggie when she reached the bottom step.

Abby left them alone and joined Ziva and Ducky in the dining room. The three of them did their best to pretend they weren't trying to eavesdrop on Gibbs and Maggie. In her sock covered feet, standing on the bottom step, Maggie came just about eye to eye with Gibbs. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, resting his forehead against hers.

"You smell good." He said softly.

"I smell like you." She teased.

"Nah, you don't smell like sawdust." He said as he kissed her cheek. "Come on, you need to eat. Ducky brought just about everything he could think of."

Before Maggie stepped off the stair, a movement at Gibbs' front door caught her attention. She froze as she stared over Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs saw where Maggie was looking and turned to the door. He closed his eyes and swore silently.

"What the hell is Senior doing here?" Maggie demanded when she saw Tony and Senior standing there.

"I really hope you know what you're doing." Gibbs said as he opened the front door and stepped out on to the porch closing the door behind him.

"Either I took him or he was coming on his own." Tony defended himself.

"Gibbs, that's my daughter in there." Senior began.

"No, that's Tony's sister in there. That's someone very important to me in there." Gibbs corrected Senior. "She doesn't consider you her father."

Tony had to admit, that was a low blow even for Gibbs. He wanted to stand up to Gibbs and defend his father, but Senior stopped him.

"Gibbs, I know you don't think very much of me and even less of my parenting skills, but Maggie is still my daughter and I want to right a terrible wrong. I think she is the only one to tell me to leave."

"And what if that is what I want?"

Gibbs stepped aside from the door that Maggie had just opened and let her look at Senior. He couldn't think but how small she looked in his sweatshirt standing there. He wanted to grab her, toss her in the truck and take her someplace where she could be safe and heal. Just the two of them alone, making everyone else stay out. But he'd kept people out for too long, it was time to change.

"Maggie, honey…" Senior began.

"Don't. Don't call me honey." Maggie warned him.

"Can we please go inside and talk. I just want to know that you are okay." Senior pleaded.

"Well Senior. I've been kidnapped, beaten up and have some wicked cuts and bruises to show for my past few days but I'm fine. You can have Tony bring you back to where ever you were." Maggie started to turn around and walk back inside.

"I want to apologize for bringing that character back into your life." Senior called out to her.

Maggie was as far as the living room when she heard that. She reached her hand out to the archway to steady herself. Abby started to go to her, but was stopped by Ducky. He shook his head letting her know that they had to stay out of this.

"I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly?" Maggie turned to face Senior who was now inside the house. "YOU are the reason Joe found me?" The anger in her body was starting to make her shake.

"I…" Senior stumbled for the words. Tony could hear the gears of his father's excuse maker turning. He hoped desperately that for once his father would come clean.

"You what?" Maggie spat out. "How in the hell did Joe Antonelli find you?"

"Maggie, please, you're shaking, please, let's sit down and talk." Senior tried to take her by the elbow over to the couch, but Maggie shook him off. Instead, she walked to the chair right next to the archway and sat down. Senior sat on the edge of the couch and looked around him. Ziva, Ducky and Abby were in the dining room watching the scene in the living room. Tony stood in the archway, his hands buried in his coat pockets. Gibbs sat on the arm of Maggie's chair, his hand resting at the base of her neck giving her his quiet support.

"Could I have a moment alone with my daughter please?" Senior asked.

Ducky cleared his throat and put his dish down. "Why don't we adjourn to the basement to see what project Gibbs is working on? I saw him start it a few months ago."

Gibbs nodded at the three in the other room, silently thanking Ducky for his tact.

"I would really like to talk to her alone." Senior said to Gibbs and Tony.

"Not happening." Gibbs told him.

"Gibbs can stay. It's his house. He can hear whatever you want to say to me. I have no secrets from him." Maggie told Senior. "And Tony's my brother. Now you need to explain this to me."

Tony leaned against the archway and listened to Senior explain the entire story to Maggie. When he was done he looked at her and waited for her to say something, anything.

"I don't know what you want from me. To say I forgive you? To say it's not your fault? Why didn't you call Tony first?" Maggie asked not expecting an answer.

"Maggie, I did a lot of things wrong when it came to you and your mother." He began.

"A lot?" she snorted. "Try everything. But this is not the time or the place to hash this out. I don't have the strength or energy to have THAT conversation."

Senior nodded. "Will you at least think about having that conversation?" Senior asked hopefully. "I'd like to get to know my daughter and my grandson."

Maggie gave Tony a questioning look.

"They met at NCIS. I tried to keep them apart."

Maggie shook her head. "I'm not mad at you Tony. Jamie's a grown man, if he wants to know Senior, I can't stop him." She turned her attention back to Senior. "As to any more conversations, I don't know right now. Add all this to our past history and it's more than I want to deal with right now."

Senior stood up and nodded. "I understand. Junior can you take me to the train station now?"

Maggie didn't look up at Senior as Gibbs stood to open the door. She was staring at the coffee table in front of the couch when she felt Senior stoop down and kiss her gently on the head. "Don't think that I never loved you Maggie."

Tony didn't hear what his father said, but judging from the expression on Maggie's face, it was surprising to her. He followed Senior out the front door and turned to Gibbs.

"I'll come back after I drop him off, if that's okay."

"I think you have to. Ducky brought enough food for an army."

They all sat at the small dining room table; Gibbs sitting on a stool brought up from the basement next to Maggie his arm draped on the back of her chair. Ducky, Ziva and Abby in the three remaining chairs while latecomer McGee and Tony sat on the couch in the dining room. No one talked about the kidnapping or Senior. Instead the conversation was based on the strangest things they'd come across in their cases. When Abby got to the part about McGee adopting the dog she'd renamed Jethro, Maggie realized she hadn't seen the dog around the house.

"Where is Freck?" she asked Gibbs. In everything that happened he'd managed to not tell her what had happened with the dog.

"He's with my brother Kyle." Abby offered. "He's taking great care of her. Jimmy did a great job getting the bullet out."

"Bullet..Did you say bullet?" Maggie was shocked.

"Gibbs, you didn't tell her?"

"I was preoccupied with her." Gibbs said in his own defense.

"Where is she?" Maggie started to stand up, but Gibbs put his hands on her shoulder to stop her.

"Maggie, she's fine. Abby's brother Kyle is taking care of her."

"Here, let me call Kyle." Abby took out her smart phone and dialed Kyle's number. Kyle said Freckles was fine, still favoring her leg, but there was no real damage done. Kyle turned the phone to show Maggie a sleeping Freckles curled up on a dog bed with Kyle's dog next to her.

"See." Abby smiled. "She's in good hands. As soon as you feel better, I'll bring her here. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried, I trust you Abby."

When Gibbs could see Maggie starting to tire, he told everyone to go home and made Maggie lie down on the couch. When she fell asleep he busied himself in the basement sweeping the floor and finding things to occupy his mind. The reality of how close he came to loosing Maggie sank in now that she was back and safe. He sat down heavily on a stool and looked around the basement. How much time had he spent in this basement keeping his mind busy before he met Maggie? Gibbs had no idea, but he knew the amount would be measured in weeks and months. Gibbs looked up at the landing and expected to see Freckles there, but knew the dog was still with Abby's brother. He made a mental note to call Kyle and make arrangements to bring the dog home. Standing up he stretched out his neck and went up the stairs to go check on Maggie.

Maggie woke up on the couch and was momentarily confused as to where Gibbs was. The sounds coming from the basement told her Gibbs must be down there doing something. She understood his need to keep busy when something was on his mind; she could only imagine what he'd been going through the past few days.

She sat up on the couch and turned to look out the window. It had started raining while she was sleeping and it looked like it was coming down hard now. Maggie curled up at the corner of the couch, pulled the blanket over her lap and watched the rain falling against the window.

Gibbs was quiet as he closed the cellar door so he wouldn't disturb Maggie. He walked through the kitchen and looked over to see Maggie awake.

"Hey, you're supposed to be sleeping." He said quietly as he moved over to the couch.

"I just woke up." Maggie let Gibbs move he legs gingerly under the blanket as he sat down next to her and repositioned her legs across his lap. One arm rested across her legs while the other stretched out along the back of the couch, his fingers touching her face.

"You should have come and got me." Gibbs told her.

Maggie watched his face as he looked at the bruises on hers. "Gibbs, talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking." She said as she leaned her face into his hand.

Gibbs moved his thumb back and forth across her cheekbone as his other hand found hers.

"I was scared that we weren't going to find you in time." He admitted.

Maggie turned her face and kissed his palm. "I knew you would. I never doubted it."

"McGee found you."

"You were there Jethro. You found me. You never gave up."

Gibbs shook his head. "No I wouldn't give up. I wasn't going to lose someone else I love. Not again."

Maggie's heart skipped a beat. Had she just heard Gibbs correctly? As if he could read what Maggie was thinking, Gibbs went on.

"I'm not good with words all the time, especially with the important things…" Gibbs started to tell her but Maggie stopped him by leaning in and kissing him.

"I love you too." She told him "And I'm not going anywhere."

Gibbs wrapped his arms around Maggie and pulled her in close, trying not to hold her too tight. He kissed the top of her head and held her for a few minutes before letting her go.

"Time for bed." He said as he moved out from under her and helped her stand up.

"I'm not tired." Maggie tried to complain, but Gibbs was having none of it.

"It's been a long day and you need to rest." Gibbs led her to the stairs. "And believe it or not, I haven't slept much lately."

"Really?" Maggie teased as she stepped up on the first stair. "Miss me that much you couldn't sleep without me?"

Gibbs stopped and turned her around to face him. With Maggie standing on the bottom step, she was just about eye to eye with him.

"I love you." He simply said.

Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know that, you just told me that on the couch."

"No. I told you I didn't want to lose someone I loved again."

"But I knew what you meant." Maggie gave him a soft kiss. "But I like hearing you say it to me."

"And you will hear it." Gibbs kissed her and turned her back around to head back up the stairs.

**_Six months later_**

"I think the house is perfect." Jimmy stood in the living room of his and Bri's new home.

"I do too. Just some paint and personal touches and it's the perfect place for our new family." Bri rested her hands on her burgeoning belly. "I just can't believe the deal Gibbs gave us on the place."

Jimmy was shocked too. One afternoon a few weeks ago, Gibbs had come down to autopsy to see him. He'd heard that Jimmy and Bri were looking for a home now that they were starting a family. Their apartment was too small. Gibbs had offered to sell him his house. He said it was the perfect size for a young family and since he wasn't living there anymore; there was no reason to hold on to it. It was time for a new family to make new memories.

When Gibbs and Maggie decided to move in together at her house, Gibbs didn't have all that much to bring with him. Besides his books and clothes, all he had were his tools. Maggie happily gave up much of the garage to him which turned out to be bigger than his basement. He built a floor to ceiling bookcase for the living room to keep all the books he had and there was a special compartment to keep his gun box in so that Amira couldn't find it when she came to visit.

In the loft area above the garage Maggie and Gibbs put their memories. Pictures drawn and taken. Mementos of their past loves were put away with great care. Maggie suggested that Gibbs take his medals that Tony still kept in his desk drawer, but Gibbs didn't want them. She offered to make a case for them, but still he declined. He'd let Tony hold on to them.

Gibbs and Jamie grew close. Their shared love of the Marines and the experiences brought them together as well as their love for Maggie. One summer night in the dog days of August, Maggie found Gibbs sitting on the patio sipping a beer. She walked over to him and moved his arm so she could sit on his lap.

"Get your own." He teased her when she stole his beer and took a sip of it.

"Jamie just left."

"Armed with enough food to feed his friends?" Gibbs knew the answer to that.

"Not sure if it's friends or girlfriend. I got the feeling there is one."

Gibbs sipped his beer and tipped his head to the side.

"You know." Maggie smiled. "There is someone isn't there."

"Marines don't tell each other's secrets." Gibbs told her.

"Fine be that way." She started to get up from his lap, but he pulled her back down.

"We did talk about a girl though." Gibbs confessed.

"Really? And who would that be?"

"You." Gibbs smiled at her.

"Me? Why me?"

"Your son wants to know my intentions."

"Your what?" Maggie sputtered.

"He wants to know if I'm going to make an honest woman out of you or if we're going to keep living in sin."

"Oh my God, he did not. I swear I'm going to ring his neck."

"No. No you're not." Gibbs told her.

"Oh really and what am I going to do?" Maggie looked at him quizzically.

"Well you are going to decide."

"Decide what?"

Gibbs put his beer bottle down on the patio and wrapped his arms around her.

"Decide if you want to be an honest woman or a sinner."

Maggie was shocked. "Gibbs, are you asking me to marry you?"

Gibbs' response was to smile at her.

"You know, I don't believe in divorce. I say yes and you're stuck with me for life. There's no going back." She told him.

"So is that a yes?"

She looked into his blue eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, it's yes." Maggie kissed him soundly.  
"But I don't want to do big and all that. Been there done that."

"Me too." Gibbs said as he kissed her again. "I've got an idea. Let me make the arrangements."

"You want me to let you take care of things."

"Yup."

"I take it you've been thinking about this." Maggie raised an eyebrow as she asked.

"Maybe." Gibbs replied.

"I must be crazy, but okay."

All Maggie knew was they were getting married the next weekend; besides the Navy Chaplain Gibbs had called in a favor from, the only other person who would be present was Jamie. No one else knew. That was how they both wanted it for now. Apparently Abby was really into bachelor parties and had things left over from Jimmy's party she wanted to use. Gibbs managed to sneak out of the office on a Thursday afternoon to meet Maggie at City Hall to get their marriage license.

"Something is up with him." Tony commented when Gibbs left with a big smile on his face.

"Going out for a nooner?" Ziva teased him.

Tony shuddered. "I know it's just Gibbs to you, but his nooners would involve my sister and I'd rather not think about that. About them doing that."

"Tony, they live together. Do you not think they have sex? They sleep in the same bed." Ziva stated to Tony.

"I'd rather not think about their sex life. Let's think of McGee-I'm-Not-Getting-Any's sex life." Tony looked over to McGee at his desk.

"I'd rather you didn't think of mine either." McGee piped up.

The phone on Gibbs' desk rang. The three of them looked at the phone daring the other to answer it. Ziva finally got up and answered.

"Special Agent Gibbs' desk, Agent David speaking. No Chaplain, he has stepped out. Yes I will." Ziva hung up. "That was odd. Why would a Chaplain be calling Gibbs?"

"Don't know." McGee answered from his desk. "Maybe a case."

"We don't have any cases right now Probie." Tony reminded his teammate.

"So why would he need a Chaplain?" Ziva asked again. Then her eyes lit up. "You do not think…"

"Think what?" Tony wanted to know.

"You know, maybe you are going to get a brother in law?"

Tony made a face. No, Maggie wouldn't be getting married without telling him. Would she?

No one dared ask Gibbs any questions when he came back. Ziva gave him the message about the Chaplain calling. Gibbs thanked her and spent the rest of the day in MTAC.

"You don't believe in tradition do you?" Gibbs asked Maggie from the hallway through their closed bedroom door.

"No, but I would like to at least surprise you." Came her answer through the door.

"The Chaplain will be here in 15 minutes." He told her.

"And I'll be down in 14 minutes. Now let me finish getting ready."

Gibbs finished buttoning his white shirt he'd picked up from the cleaners earlier in the morning along with his dark grey suit. The ceremony was going to be simple and then he'd planned a romantic dinner for them after.

Maggie found a pale grey lace dress with a violet belt. It was fancy enough to be a wedding dress without being an actual wedding dress. She wore Tony's mother's pearl necklace and bracelet and her own mother's diamond studs. She heard the doorbell ring and assumed it was Jamie. He'd agreed to give Maggie away, be Gibbs' best man and the witness. He was bringing a date too he'd told them when he'd called the night before.

"Maggie, I think you want to come down and meet Jamie's date." Gibbs called from downstairs. She couldn't believe he actually yelled that.

"Gibbs." She said as she started down the stairs and stopped.

"Wow, you look amazing." Jackson Gibbs was standing between Jamie and Gibbs. "Though I would have preferred meeting my future daughter in law earlier than the actual wedding day."

"Dad." Gibbs rolled his eyes at his father. Other than his wedding to Shannon, Jackson hadn't been present at his other weddings. He should have thought of this on his own.

"Amazing is one word. You look hot Mom." Jamie told her.

"Hey, she's going to be my wife you know." Gibbs gave Jamie a gentler head slap than he would give to Tony.

"Yeah, well I'm going to be your step-son." Jamie countered.

"And I'm going to be your grandfather so stop sassing your Mom." Jackson told Jamie. "Go and get me water."

"How?" Maggie asked as Jackson gave her a hug.

"Jamie called me and told me what was going on." Jackson began to explain. "Now son, don't think I strong armed him. I've missed enough of your weddings, I'd be damned if I'd miss this one."

Gibbs smiled at his father and Maggie; this was going to be the last wedding that was for sure.

"We are going to be one big happy family." Maggie wrapped her arm around Gibbs waist. "What's one more witness?"

"Make that five more witnesses."

Tony appeared from the kitchen. "You can't keep a secret from your little brother."

"We managed all week." Gibbs told him.

"How did you find out?" Maggie wanted to know.

"I have my ways." Tony came over to Maggie and kissed her on her cheek.

"You mean McGee has his ways." Gibbs corrected.

"Boss, he pulled the seniority card and made me do it." McGee offered in his own defense.

"Besides, you need flowers." Abby walked into the room carrying a small bouquet of Maggie's favorite flowers. "And bridesmaids."

Ziva took out a boutonniere from a plastic box that matched Maggie's flowers and pinned it on Gibbs' lapel. "And the groom needs his too."

"The Chaplain is here." Ducky informed the party standing in the living room. "Shall we get the show on the road?"

Two hours later Maggie stood on the back porch looking down at the people in the patio. Several boxes of pizza were on the table in the middle of the patio. The wedding party drank wine and beer and shared stories with each other. Maggie felt Gibbs' arms slide around her waist from behind. His lips grazed the side of her neck.

"What do you think of your big happy family now?" he asked her. "Bit of a surprise isn't it?"

"I like surprises." She told him. "Like the kind I find in the bathroom aisle at Lowe's."

"I think it's time we let the newlyweds have some privacy." Ducky said as he looked up and saw Maggie and Gibbs on the top stair.

Goodnights were said as everyone left. Gibbs let Freckles out for her nightly bathroom break while Maggie rinsed out the wine glasses in the sink. Gibbs came back in, gave Freckles a treat and told her to go to bed.

"You were talking to me or the dog?" Maggie asked flirtatiously from the sink.

Gibbs walked over to his wife and pulled her into him. He kissed her slowly, taking his time going from her top to her bottom lip before moving to run his tongue down her neck.

"Watch it buddy, kiss me like that and you better be prepared to take your clothes off." She warned him.

"Oh I plan on taking mine off." He nipped at one side of her neck. "But yours are coming off first." He nipped the other side of her neck and stopped.

Maggie was just about panting waiting for him to say what he was going to do next.

"And then?" she finally asked.

"Then we are going to make use of that shower I helped you fix."


	7. Chapter 7

Christmas

Gibbs drove the truck through the entrance to "Dowling's Christmas Tree Farm" and wound his way to the farthest part of the parking lot. He put the truck in park, turned the ignition off and turned to face his stunned wife. Maggie had no idea where they were going. Gibbs had been putting off getting a real Christmas tree for days, she was about to give up and have Jamie go with her to find one.

"Gibbs?" Maggie's face showed surprise. "I thought you didn't want to go get a tree."

"I didn't." He smiled and tugged at Maggie's ponytail.

"Then why are we here?"

Gibbs leaned closer to Maggie and cupped her cheek with his hand.

"Because my wife wants a real Christmas tree and if it makes my wife happy…" Gibbs didn't finish the sentence but instead, he kissed her. Not the typical 'my wife rocks' kiss, but the kiss he gave her when he wanted he to know that she could rock his world. One kiss led to another and before Maggie knew it she was almost flat on the front seat and the trucks windows were fogged up.

"Hey buster." Maggie pushed teasingly at Gibbs' shoulder. "Is this why you parked all the way over here? You wanted to go parking?"

Gibbs laughed. "Figured my plan out. Take you parking and forget about the tree."

Maggie swatted him on the shoulder. "Not going to work Gibbs. But I'll make you a deal."

Gibbs sat back up and took a second to adjust himself. "I'm listening."

"Help me pick out a tree and I promise you lots of sex when we get home."

"Lots huh?"

Maggie scooted up and went for her husband's weak spot, his earlobe. She nipped it between her teeth and whispered in his ear. "Lots."

The 6' Christmas tree was in its stand in front of the windows. Gibbs stood in front of it drinking his morning coffee. He smiled when he thought of how quickly they got the tree home, sized, into the house and it the stand. He was going to hold Maggie to her promise and she had more than delivered. He smirked to himself thinking how flexible his wife was.

"I hope that smile is because of me not the coffee you're drinking." Maggie said as she came down the stairs.

Gibbs smirked at Maggie as she walked past him and into the kitchen. A cup of coffee was already waiting for her on the counter along with the morning paper.

"You could have slept in today." Gibbs mentioned as he walked up behind Maggie and kissed her on the neck.

"Your Dad is going to be here soon. I don't want to be in bed dreaming about my husband when I need to get things ready around here." Maggie said as she tipped her neck to give Gibbs more room.

"What would be dreaming about?" he asked as he continued his attack on her neck.

Maggie didn't answer; instead she tipped her head back and kissed him. Gibbs' hands wandered over the soft material of Maggie's sweater. As they kissed, his fingers found the hem of the sweater and were about to slide up underneath when the front doorbell rang.

"My father has great timing." Gibbs said reluctantly as Maggie moved away from him to answer the front door.

"Hi Jackson." Maggie greeted her father in law at the door while Gibbs worked to calm his body parts some.

"Maggie, why don't you call me Dad?" Jackson hugged Maggie and stepped back to look at her.

"Because she has a Dad…Dad." Gibbs walked out to greet his father.

"You off to work already?" Jackson asked as Gibbs put his coat on. "Don't you want to have breakfast?"

"Coffee." Gibbs picked up his keys "Not much of a breakfast person."

"I try Jackson, but he just wants coffee." Maggie stepped on her tip toes and kissed Gibbs goodbye and then hooked her arm through Jackson's "But I've got all the makings for a wicked omelet."

"Wicked huh." Jackson grinned "That Boston accent again."

Gibbs watched his wife guide his father into the kitchen. That woman had a way with the men in his family.

"We still on for the annual Christmas tradition?" Tony asked the other members of the team.

"Wouldn't miss it." Ziva answered.

"I'll be there." McGee added.

"Boss? How about you? You coming?" Tony asked Gibbs about the team tradition of watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' in MTAC on Christmas Eve.

"Yup." Gibbs answered not looking up from his desk.

"Mags okay with it?" Tony wondered. The tradition hadn't involved significant others since none of them actually had them in the past. Well the year before his father had come, but this year his father had been vague about his holiday plans.

Gibbs took his glasses off and looked at Tony. For the past 4 months that Gibbs had been married to Tony's sister and for the few months before that they'd managed to keep work and personal apart. Except for the time that the lines crossed when Maggie was kidnapped.

"My Dad is in town and they'll be busy cooking for Christmas Day." He answered.

"What time are we due at dinner?" Ziva asked.

"Around two." Gibbs answered as he left the bullpen and went upstairs to the Directors office.

"We still are not exchanging gifts remember." Ziva reminded the other two. "We made a deal."

"Money to a charity." McGee stated that he remembered. "And we bring dessert or wine tomorrow."

"Maggie makes the best pies, so I'd go with wine or beer for Old Salty." Tony nodded up towards where Gibbs had gone.

"Or Bourbon." McGee added.

"Is this still strange for you Tony? Being related to Gibbs?" Ziva wanted to know.

"I'm getting used to it. Plus you have to admit, he is less grumpy."

"You've been around him before when he was married haven't you? I mean you've known him the longest." McGee asked.

"No. We met when he was divorcing #4. So this is the first time I've been around a married Gibbs." Tony told them.

"Who else is coming?" Ziva asked.

"There's us, Ziva, Ducky, Gibbs' Dad and Mike Franks daughter in law and granddaughter are coming too." Tony listed off the people.

"Jamie can't come?" Ziva wondered.

"He's on duty, hazard of being low man on the team."

"What about Senior?" McGee asked about the one person left in the family.

"I honestly don't know."

Maggie and Jackson spent the morning buying food for Christmas day. School was already on break so they were going to spend the day making cookies and pies. She'd had a good time with her father in law. He told Maggie what Gibbs was like when he was a child, how he was a happy child until his mother passed away. Jackson was a lot like her father in many ways; they would have loved meeting each other.

"You expecting company?" Jackson asked when he saw a car parked in front of the house.

"That's Jamie's car. I wonder what he's doing here."

Maggie pulled into the driveway and let her and Jackson in the back door.

"Jamie? You here?"

"In the living room Mom." Her son called out.

"Where is my grandson?" Jackson bellowed from the kitchen.

Maggie followed Jackson into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks.

"He's in here with his other grandfather."

"Special Agent Tony Di…..whoa…whoa…slow down Mags. What are you talking about?" Tony held the phone away from his ear. "He's what?"

Gibbs was coming down the steps from the Director's office when he heard Tony answer the phone and new Maggie was on the phone.

"Hey, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Tony asked his sister who was letting a string of swears loose on her end.

"She kisses me with that mouth and I like it." Gibbs said to Tony as he turned the corner. Tony cringed at Gibbs answer but Maggie was still yelling on her end.

"Okay, I'll deal with it." Tony hung up the phone.

"Maggie upset about something?" Ziva asked.

"Ya Think?!" Tony snapped back at her.

"Don't yell at Ziva cuz you pissed Maggie off." Gibbs said as his phone rang. He saw Maggie's number and knew he was about to find out what she was so mad at. "Yeah. Gibbs."

"Can I shoot my brother?"

"No." Gibbs laughed. "Why."

"He told my father where I live."

"We. Where we live." Gibbs corrected. "And that was almost a year ago."

Tony tried to make himself small at his desk. Gibbs was just about to give him one hell of a head slap.

"Well Senior is sitting in OUR living room with your father and my son."

"What?" Gibbs looked over at Tony.

"It's not my fault Boss." Tony said.

"Senior is in town for the DiNozzo family tradition and wants to stay with us."

Gibbs was staring daggers at Tony when he hung up the phone.

"Your father invited himself to my house for Christmas. So now I have my father and your father." Gibbs informed Tony.

"You know, it may be time that Maggie tries to forgive Dad. I mean you and your Dad made up. Christmas miracles and all." Tony shrugged.

"Tony, you gave out their address?" McGee was shocked.

"No. I swear I didn't." Tony defended himself. "Wait, how did he get the address?"

Gibbs knew the answer to that question and knew his stepson had his heart in the right place. Jamie told Gibbs that they'd had been communicating by email since they met. Jamie thought Senior was a good guy and that Maggie had given him a raw deal. Gibbs doubted that Jamie knew the entire story.

"Do you think it's a good idea; Maggie alone with Senior?" Tony wondered out loud. "I mean she has some crazy big knives in the kitchen. You know the ones I'm talking about Boss."

Gibbs didn't answer; Maggie wouldn't hurt Senior but she may threaten him.

"Maggie?"

Maggie stood at the kitchen sink, arms bracing herself, her head hung down as she tried to calm her emotions. The last thing she needed was Senior here.

"Hey Jackson." Maggie straightened her shoulders and turned to face her father in law.

"I'll make him leave if you want." The older Gibbs sat down on a stool. "This cane isn't just for walking."

Maggie smiled, like father like son, she thought.

"No. I have to figure this all out. That's all." Maggie walked over to Jackson and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm right here if you need me. Just holler." Jackson told her.

Maggie walked into the living room. Jamie was sitting on the couch; Senior was looking at the photos on the fireplace mantle.

"You were a beautiful bride." Senior said as he held the picture of Maggie and Gibbs on their wedding day. "I wish I could have been there to give you away."

Maggie took the picture from Senior and put it back where it belonged.

"You didn't the first time. Remember?" Maggie said rather snarkily.

"Mom." Jamie was shocked at how his mother was talking to her father. "I asked Grandpa to come here."

"Grandpa?" Maggie was shocked at how Jamie addressed Senior.

"I am his grandfather." Senior smiled. "What was he supposed to call me?"

Maggie opened and closed her mouth and decided to not answer that question. Instead she walked over to the still undecorated Christmas tree. Her plan had been to start baking cookies and decorate the tree with Jackson. That had been all shot to hell now.

"Jamie, can I have a minute with your Grandfather?"

"I don't know Mom, maybe I should stay in the room…."

"James Sullivan, I'm trying to keep as calm as I can right now. Go in the kitchen with Jackson. NOW."

Jamie knew that tone and when his mother used it, you had two choices; do what she said or you'd wish you had.

"You're so much like your mother Maggie. You've got that Irish temper that I loved about her." Senior looked at another picture of Maggie's mother holding Jamie as a baby. "You've got her hair and eyes too."

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to focus. Losing her temper would not help things now.

"Listen Senior, it's taking all my self-control to not throw you out on the street. I'm still not ready to forgive you for what happened with Joe."

Senior walked over to Maggie and put his hands on her shoulders. Maggie didn't flinch, but her body stiffened.

"Maggie, I swear to you that I never ever meant any harm. I honestly believed that he was just trying to set things straight with you."

"A total stranger comes up to you in a hotel bathroom, knows that you're the father of a daughter whom you're not close to and convinces you to go to DC to find me. You'd of had a better chance of getting Tony to bring you here."

Senior released Maggie's shoulders and went to stand by the tree.

"I actually did ask Tony to tell me where to find you. He said no."

"Maybe you should have listened to him."

Senior said nothing as he looked out the window. Dark clouds were forming in the sky. The weather man had predicted a Christmas blizzard. When he didn't speak for a few moments, Maggie turned to look at him. Senior had aged recently, he seemed so much older than the last time she had seen him at Gibbs' house.

"Why are you here Senior?"

"You just can't call me Dad can you?" Senior said quietly.

"You aren't my Dad. Seamus was my father, he was the one who raised me and was there for me."

"And I wasn't." Senior stated. "I've made a lot of mistakes with you and with Junior."

Maggie saw Gibbs and Tony pull into the driveway. She watched as they walked to the back door and waited...

"I suppose Gibbs will throw me out now." Senior said somewhat dejectedly.

"Son, I'd give them a few minutes." Jackson said to Gibbs when he took his jacket off in the kitchen. "I told Maggie I'd be here if she needed back up." Jackson tapped his cane on the floor.

"Don't worry Dad." Gibbs told his father and then turned to look at Jamie. He gestured for Jamie to follow him out the back door.

"Ooh, someone's in trouble." Tony said quietly to Jamie which earned him a head slap from Gibbs.

"Better you than me." Jamie told his uncle.

"Yours is coming." Gibbs told his step son. "Follow me."

Jamie followed Gibbs into the garage and shut the door behind him. Standing at attention, Jamie waited for Gibbs to say something.

"You don't have to stand at attention." Gibbs told him as he searched his work bench for something. "I just want to know…" Gibbs turned to face Jamie… "Why in the hell did you bring Senior here?"

Jamie relaxed and walked over to the work table and sat down on one of the stools. He ran his hands over his buzz cut hair a few times.

"When I met Grandpa DiNozzo, I really liked him. He's a lot like me or I'm a lot like him."

Gibbs sat down on the other side of the work table with two small jars filled with bourbon and handed one to Jamie.

"You're nothing like Senior. Trust me; I've seen him at his worst." Gibbs took a sip of his drink.

"I know what happened was bad." Jamie agreed.

"Ya think?" Gibbs replied.

"But I've been talking to him a lot lately and he really does sound like he wants to make amends with Mom. He keeps talking about all the time he's missed with Uncle Tony and her."

Jamie took a sip of the drink and choked a little. "Bit hard don't you think?"

"Acquired taste." Gibbs finished his own drink.

"I just …." Jamie continued. "Things are really great now. We're a family. You, me, Mom, Uncle Tony, Grandpa Jackson and it's Christmas and I just wanted Mom to try and even if she still calls him Senior that she just tries to listen to him and make him feel welcome."

Jamie looked up at his step-father.

"Am I making any sense?"

"Yeah son, you are." Gibbs

"They've been out there a long time." Tony said to Jackson as they sat at the kitchen island. He ran his hands over the granite top. The back door opened and Gibbs and Jamie came back in to the kitchen. Gibbs stopped at the refrigerator and pulled out a beer for himself, popped the cap off and took a long sip of it.

"Everything okay Boss?" Tony asked.

"He makes you call him Boss even here?" Jackson was shocked.

Gibbs gave his father the 'really Dad' look as he walked into the living room.

"Habit." Tony told Jackson. "Things may get really ugly now."

"I guess congratulations are in order Gibbs." Senior walked over to Gibbs and shook his hand. "Maggie's a wonderful girl."

"Yes she is." Gibbs let go of Seniors hand and bent down to kiss Maggie on the top of the head.

"Well I guess I should ask Jamie to take me back to the hotel." Senior walked over to the chair where he had put his jacket.

"Where you going?" Gibbs asked. Maggie reached out and grabbed Gibbs wrist and gave him a look that screamed 'what are you up to?'

Gibbs reached for Seniors jacket and hung it in the hall closet. Senior and Maggie's faces showed different levels of confusion.

"Stay for dinner. I'm going to grill some steaks." Gibbs told Senior.

"In this weather? It's freezing out."

"Nah, just a bit chilly." Gibbs and Senior walked back down the hall to the kitchen leaving a completely stunned Maggie alone in the living room.

Maggie was very quiet, too quiet Tony thought as he walked into the living room. A quiet Maggie was a scary Maggie; Tony knew.

"Mags?" he approached his sister quietly "You okay?"

"I don't know Tony. Pinch me." Maggie turned to face her brother

"What?" Tony shook his head confused.

"Pinch me. I need to know if this is a dream or nightmare."

"Okay." Tony reached out and pinched Maggie on the arm.

"Ow!" she yelped.

"You told me to."

"So it's not a dream. My husband is out on the patio grilling steaks for Senior."

"Fraid so." Tony wrapped his sister in a hug and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"My husband invited Senior to dinner." Maggie's voice was muffled since she was speaking into Tony's chest.

"Yup. It's our own family version of 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'. The 1967 classic…Spencer Tracy. Sydney Por….Ow! What was that for?"

Maggie had pinched Tony back on his side. "I know the movie Tony."

"You sure about this son? Maggie doesn't seem too happy with it." Jackson brought out the tray of steaks to Gibbs at the grill.

Gibbs placed the steaks on the grill and watched them for a few minutes.

"Dad, we didn't talk for a long time." Gibbs started.

"No, no we didn't." Jackson sat down on one of the patio chairs near the grill.

"And it took us time, but we're okay."

"Yes, yes we are."

"What do you know about Maggie and her father?" Gibbs closed the top of the grill and sat down across from his father.

"I know he walked away and never looked back. Didn't give a rat's ass about her."

Gibbs took a drink of his beer and nodded his head. "More or less."

"And because he wasn't smart enough to see through that bastards lies, he almost got her killed."

Again, Gibbs nodded.

"But you think they can come to some kind of an impasse? You sure you want to step into this son?"

"Maggie's my wife, Dad."

"Un huh." Jackson agreed.

"Jamie is my step son and he's the reason Senior is here. He thinks the guy wants to make some kind of amends for the past."

"And you? What do you think?"

Gibbs was silent for a few minutes. "I think if he's conning his way in again, I'll kill him myself."

"Can I help with anything?" Senior asked Maggie as she set about working inside making dinner.

Jamie had gotten called back to base and Tony was sent out to the garage to grab the extra stools for him and Senior to use at the island.

"Can you reach the wine glasses?" Maggie asked Senior. There was no avoiding him being there so she promised herself she'd at least be a polite hostess in her own home.

"Absolutely." Senior opened the cabinet where Maggie had pointed. "How come you don't have a regular dining room?"

"The house didn't come with one. Gibbs and I are thinking about adding an addition off the kitchen in the spring."

"I suppose he'll build it." Senior placed five glasses on the table.

"He will."

"Are you happy? Married to Gibbs I mean?"

Maggie put the asparagus in the steamer and stepped back a little from the stove.

"Yes, I'm very happy. Gibbs is wonderful." Maggie looked up at Senior. "I don't just marry for the sake of marrying."

"How is Junior handling it?"

"Tony wasn't happy at first, even if he said he was, but it took time. He seems to be okay with it now."

"What about Jamie? He avoids the subject of Gibbs when we talk." Senior pulled out a bottle of wine and uncorked it to let it breath before pouring it.

"Jamie knows there is tension between you two. But he and Gibbs have really bonded. They have a lot in common."

"Marines?"

Maggie nodded and took the baked potatoes out of the oven. "That and fishing and other things guys his age confide in their fathers about."

"I am sorry about what happened to James." Senior said.

"Senior." Maggie faced him. "If we are to get through this meal, you have to avoid things like that with me. Understand?"

"Understand."

"Understand what?" Tony asked as he came in carrying the tray of steaks, followed by Jackson and Freckles who was drooling hoping someone would drop something on the floor for her to get.

"Mags, Gibbs needs you outside." Tony whispered as he passed his sister.

Maggie wrapped herself in one of Gibbs' jackets that was hanging by the door. She smiled at the sight of her husband standing there in his off work uniform of jeans, work boots and a Marine sweatshirt. Cold never really got to him. Man was a master of layering clothes. Just like she was a master of getting him out of all those layers. She couldn't help staring at his butt; it was such a nice butt.

Gibbs was cleaning off the grill with a brush, he heard Maggie's footsteps as she crossed the porch and came down the stairs. He also caught the scent of her perfume in the cold evening air. Maggie walked up behind Gibbs and wrapped her arms around him, burying her nose in the soft sweat shirt material and squeezed him tight. She loved the smell of his deodorant and the ever present scent of saw dust on his sweatshirts. Gibbs used his free hand to bring one of her hands up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

"I take it you're not that mad at me."

"No, I'm mad at you, but not mad enough to kick you out of bed and make you sleep on the couch tonight." Maggie moved around to stand in front of her husband, her arms still wrapped around him. "But I'd like to know what you're up to."

"Who me?" Gibbs smirked. "What makes you think I'm up to something?" he asked as he finished with the grill brush and put it next to the grill.

Maggie cocked an eyebrow and looked up at Gibbs.

"On a good day you would tolerate Senior, but after what happened with Antonelli…"

"He's lucky I didn't kill him when he came to the house that day." Gibbs finished and kissed Maggie on the nose.

"So, what miracle happened that you and Senior are breaking bread together?"

"I know Jamie brought him here under honest motive, but I don't trust Senior." Gibbs used his thumb to brush off a snowflake that had fallen onto Maggie's cheek. "And before he hurt someone else in our family, I want to see what he's got up his sleeve."

The snow had begun to fall hours earlier than the weather reports had said. Maggie looked up at the skies and sighed. Gibbs loved the look on Maggie's face as she looked skyward, snowflakes falling more frequently on her face.

"We'd better get in before I decide to take you over to the garage and make all this up to you." Gibbs leaned down and kissed her.

"Hmmm…maybe they won't notice if we disappear for a few minutes." Maggie smiled.

"I think I need more than a few minutes for what I have planned." Gibbs kissed Maggie again while Tony called to them from the back door.

"I'd tell you two to get a room, but I'm afraid you really will."

"Sometimes I really don't like your brother." Gibbs put his arm around Maggie's shoulder and began walking for the door.

"Sometimes, neither do I." Maggie whispered to Gibbs.

"Looks like the snow is starting early." Jackson said as he used a fork to put the potatoes on everyone's plates.

"Any one hear the forecast?" Maggie took the asparagus from the steamer and put it on a plate.

"Saying 6-12 inches." Tony answered as he sat down.

"I heard 12-16." Gibbs added his information.

"Guess we'll be heading back to the store in the morning." Jackson told Maggie.

"God, up in Boston the stores must be going nuts. People hear Nor'easter and it's like the world is ending." Maggie told the men at the table.

"Blizzard of 78." Senior said. "That was awful."

"A whole month off of school." Maggie said. "One week of February vacation, then the week off for the blizzard, then I got pneumonia…"

"From the blizzard?" Senior asked. Maggie tried to convince herself that he was being sincere.

"I honestly don't remember, but the next week the doctors said I couldn't go to sleep away camp."

"Sleep away camp? Teenage girls from an all-girl Catholic school. In the wilderness, trying to keep warm." Tony let his imagination run for a bit and Maggie smacked him in the back of the head.

"Hey, that's my move." Gibbs laughed at his wife.

"Yeah Mags." Tony rubbed the back of his head. "And you hit harder."

Tony may be a lot of things, but one that helped that night during dinner was his ability to avoid awkward moments in conversations. If Senior strayed in to territory that involved his past and exploits and name dropping, Tony brought him back to the here and now. Jackson did his best to keep stories of a young Gibbs to a minimum so that his son wouldn't make him leave and stay at a hotel. Before long, the dinner plates were cleared and coffee was being refilled in mugs.

"It's getting late Dad. I should get you to your hotel before the snow really starts." Tony brought his coffee cup to the sink.

"You may want to rethink that." Jackson said from the kitchen door where he had just let the dog out into the yard.

"Holy hell, when did that happen?"

During dinner the intensity of the snow fall had picked up. In two hours the snow had begun to fall heavily and almost 3 inches was on the ground.

"I'll get my shovel and clear a path." Gibbs said as he put on his jacket and grabbed a pair of gloves from the basket next to the door. But before Gibbs got the second glove on his cell phone went off.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He looked at Maggie as he listened to one of the NCIS agents tell him where he was needed. "Okay, DiNozzo's with me, call McGee and David and tell them where to go."

"Boss?" Tony knew they weren't going out to shovel.

"Crime scene. Quantico. Gear in the car?" Gibbs asked Tony who was already starting out the door.

Gibbs walked over and kissed Maggie on the cheek. "Not Jamie." He whispered.

"I know." She cupped his face and kissed him. "Be safe. Roads are getting slippery."

Gibbs loved that Maggie was more concerned about the roads than about a crime scene.

"You going to be okay with the two of them?" he nodded over to Senior and Jackson.

"Oh, just ducky."

"Hope I won't need him here." Gibbs kissed Maggie quickly and went out the back door.

Senior clapped his hands together.

"I guess I'm spending the night." He declared.

Maggie shook her head and wondered if she'd be crazy enough to go grab Gibbs' bourbon in the garage.


	8. Chapter 8

*Midnight*

"Boss, the snow is really coming down now."

"I can see that McGee. What's your point?" Gibbs asked his agent.

"Reports are saying the roads may close down soon."

Gibbs took his NCIS baseball cap off and rubbed the top of his head before putting it back on. Ducky already had the body back at autopsy, Tony and Ziva were questioning the deceased's roommates and he and McGee were standing inside the ice cold garage where the victim's body had been found. They still had to go back to the office to question the suspect. At the rate the snow was falling Gibbs new he was going to be stuck at the office and Maggie was going to be snowed in at home with his father and Senior.

"We're done here. Let's head back." Gibbs handed McGee the keys.

"You want me to drive?"

"That's why I gave you the keys McGee."

Once inside the truck, Gibbs cranked the heat to take the chill out of the cab and flipped open his cell phone. It was now 12:30 a.m., he hated to call Maggie that late, but he wanted to make sure everything was okay.

"Hello." Maggie's voice came across the line.

"You still up?"

"I made a fire earlier and I'm waiting for it to die down before heading upstairs."

"Everything okay?"

"Do you mean have I killed anyone yet or tossed anyone's butt out in the storm? The answer is no. I will admit that I snuck out to the garage once and tossed back some of your bourbon."

"There's some in the cabinet in the kitchen." Gibbs reminded her. "You didn't need to go out in the storm."

"I needed to bring the snow blower out from there so I figured a little liquid courage wouldn't hurt. How's it where you are."

"Well if McGee could drive a little slower than…."Gibbs leaned over to read the speedometer "20 miles an hour we may not get stranded."

"Being cautious Boss."

"Be cautious a little faster." Gibbs told him. "I don't think I'll be home before morning."

"Just be safe on the roads. Call me later when you can. I love you."

"Me too." Gibbs ended the call. Maggie knew he'd never say I love you back to her when he was at work and others were around. It didn't bother her. She knew he loved her. He may not use his words to say it but he told her in many other ways.

"Was that Gibbs?"

Maggie looked up to see Senior standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, doesn't look like he'll make it home tonight." Maggie shifted her body to sit up on the couch and pulled the afghan over her lap. "Why are you up? Do you need anything?"

Senior looked out the window and shuddered. "Coming down faster now. Looks like it's almost a foot."

"We'll be okay. When it slows down enough I'll go out and use the snow blower."

"You can use that?" Senior looked over at his daughter.

"Yeah, I can. It snows in Boston too, worse than this. James used to do it but after he died, I took over a lot of the things I took for granted." Maggie explained.

"Where did you get this ornament?" Senior was looking at the tree and the handmade ornament that one of her students had made for her. It was a Popsicle snowflake with Mrs. Gibbs written in a child's printing.

"One of my students made it for me." Maggie explained. "There should be three or four more."

"All the years that you've been teaching, I thought you'd have more like these." Senior commented.

"I did…once." Maggie fiddled with the edge of the afghan.

"Once?" Senior asked as he sat down on the other end of the couch.

Maggie wasn't completely comfortable being this close to Senior. She fought the urge to just get up and go to bed; but she stayed put.

"The Christmas after James died, I was …" Maggie searched for the right word. "I was depressed. I didn't want to do the whole Christmas thing, but I had to for Jamie. When it was all over, I just threw everything out without realizing what I was doing. And then the next Christmas I could only find a handful of ornaments."

"You threw them all out? You must have been heart broken. All those years of memories."

Maggie nodded. "And some that were just plain ugly, but I kept them anyways." Maggie smiled.

"Like Nana DiNozzo's ornaments?" Senior grinned. When he left Maggie and her mother, he left most of the things his mother had given them; including Christmas ornaments brought over from 'the old country'.

"God I always hated those cherubs." Maggie laughed. "Those were the scariest things I'd ever seen. It took me years to go near the tree at Christmas time."

"They were pretty evil looking." Senior agreed.

Maggie bit her lip as a wave of nostalgia washed over her. For years when she was little, she longed for some time like this; just her and her father talking.

"Senior." Maggie started. "Why did you just walk away from us? I can understand you and Mom not loving each other and growing apart. Mom found her soul mate in Seamus, but you just…you just forgot about me."

Maggie felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes. Maybe Gibbs was right, maybe Senior was here for a reason but if that was true, then she'd never see him again and she wanted answers.

"Maggie, I never forgot about you. Hold on one second."

Senior got up and walked to the hall closet and took his wallet out of his coat pocket. He brought it back into the living room and sat on the couch. He opened his wallet and reached into a hidden fold in the back to pull out some dog eared pictures and showed them to her.

"This is your first communion." The picture was taken on the altar of St. Mary's in Boston. Maggie was 7 years old, dressed in her white communion dress, frilly socks, white leather shoes and her veil. She remembered that her mother had pin curled her hair for the occasion.

"Where did you get this?" Maggie asked quietly.

"Turn it over."

"Tony – Our girl looks beautiful – Love Liz."

"Mom sent this to you?"

"And this one."

The next one was Maggie's high school yearbook photo.

"God, look at my hair! Talk about 80's hair." Maggie laughed.

"I think you look beautiful, but this is my favorite."

The third picture was of her and Tony on her wedding day. Maggie in her wedding gown and Tony in his tux; they looked so young.

"Your step-father sent me that one."

"I don't understand." Maggie handed the pictures back to him. "Mom never told me she sent you pictures. You wouldn't even see me when I came to visit Tony when he was little.

"I don't have a good excuse for my behavior. I was wrong. Plain and simple. The money went to my head. There was never enough for me. Then I'd take a chance and I'd lose some and panic and need to make more. Then Tony's mom died and I was lost. I couldn't see you without her there. She loved you in case you didn't know."

"I knew." Maggie said softly.

"She loved having a daughter. We'd go out to parties and when people asked about Tony she'd go on about you too. She would get mad if anyone ever commented on how you were really a red headed step child."

Maggie made a face at her father.

"One time she threw a glass of wine in a woman's face when the woman made that comment. She told her that her red headed step child was the best thing that ever happened to her."

"But your red headed child….you never talked about me did you?"

"Not often, not to people who weren't family."

The room got quiet. Maggie knew the truths, she'd always guessed them but to hear him say it out loud, it was a fresh pain all over again.

Christmas Eve Day

Tony stood at the windows near his desk watching the snow fall. Roads had been closed around noon earlier in the day. It was Christmas Eve and he was going to spend yet another one here at NCIS offices. He looked forward to watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' as they always did in MTAC, but that was a choice, but that was a choice, now it felt like they were trapped.

He flipped open his cell phone and thought again about calling Maggie, and then closed it. She must be ready to kill him, but Senior being there wasn't his fault.

"She knows that you aren't to blame for Senior."

Tony jumped when Gibbs spoke.

"Really need to teach me how you do that. Sneaking up on people." Tony told Gibbs. "How'd you know I was thinking about Senior?"

"You've been looking at your phone all morning and you haven't called to check in."

"Maggie tell you that?"

"Nope." Gibbs took a sip of coffee. The heavy snow was keeping him from his usual coffee place and the stuff in the vending machine wasn't the same. "I haven't called yet."

Tony looked at Gibbs amazed.

"You haven't talked to your wife? We've been gone for over 12 hours."

Gibbs nodded. "I know how long we've been on the case. Maggie is used to me being stuck here."

"But still, it's a blizzard out there, the roads are closed and she's with your dad and my…our dad….Did you ever see any Stephen King movies? Snow, isolation, family dysfunction…..there's going to be blood."

Gibbs smirked at Tony and turned around to walk to his desk.

"Call your sister Tony; I'll talk to her after."

Tony flipped open his phone and tried Maggie's cell.

"No answer Boss."

Gibbs gave him an annoyed look. "Try the land line."

"Yeah, that was next." Tony sat at his desk and picked up the phone and paused. "What's the land line Boss? I always call her on her cell."

"Never mind." Gibbs picked up his desk phone and dialed his home.

"Hullo."

"Hey Dad, how's things going there?"

Jackson put down the baking sheet he had been putting in the oven.

"Things are fine here. Tony and I are baking cookies."

Gibbs mouth dropped open as he listened to his father.

"And Maggie's outside using the snow blower. Wife of yours is crazy. I keep telling her to wait."

"If you wait too long then you can't use it at all. The snow will be too high."

"That's what she said. She went out earlier in the morning to do the walks and the driveway so you'll have someplace to park when you get home. Speaking of that, any idea when that'll be?"

"Nope. Major roads are being worked on right now. Looks like we may be spending Christmas Eve here."

"Damn son, Maggie's going to be disappointed."

"Not you Dad?" Gibbs laughed.

"Hell no, I get the company of a pretty woman who appreciates my holiday spirit."

"Maggie is that Dad." Gibbs agreed. "How are things between her and her father?"

"First time you've referred to him as that." Jackson told his son.

Gibbs didn't respond.

"Things are pretty good here. Tony and I have been making cookies and he has one hell of an egg nog recipe."

"Family secret is the whiskey." Senior said as he put the cooled off snicker doodles on a tray.

Maggie came in the back door after finishing the latest round of snow removal.

"Here she is now son."

Jackson handed Maggie the cordless phone. "Give me your jacket before you freeze." He told her.

"You enjoying yourself?" Gibbs asked his wife.

"Snow blowing, love it. It's quiet and peaceful out there."

"Not inside huh?"

"It's actually not too bad. My kitchen is filled with the smell of fresh baked cookies, there's Christmas music playing and spiked egg nog in the fridge."

"And how are you?"

Maggie had taken the phone upstairs to the bedroom for some privacy.

"I talked to Senior for a little last night after you called."

"And?" Gibbs wanted to know if he was right.

"And he genuinely wanted to spend Christmas with his family. It's a bitter pill to swallow, our conversation didn't end in hugs and kisses and fatherly love. He admitted that he avoided me when I was young because he didn't want to remember how things used to be. And that hurt."

Gibbs was angry. He could hear the hurt in his wife's voice. "I'm going to come home."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs you are not going to try and come home. The roads suck, it's still snowing and I'd rather you are safe and warm at work then stuck in a snow bank, your car wrapped around a tree."

Gibbs knew when Maggie used his whole name she meant business.

"Besides, it's getting late; I'm going to go start dinner when the cookie shop finishes up. It was just going to be me and your Dad tonight while you did your thing with the team..."

Gibbs turned around in his chair to shield his conversation some now that Ziva and McGee had come back from raiding the various vending machines for food.

"Maggie, I don't want you to wake up Christmas morning alone."

"Honey, I'm not alone. Hopefully by tomorrow morning the roads will be open and you can get everyone here for dinner."

Gibbs was quiet.

"Gibbs, I mean it. Don't try to drive home tonight."

"No promises." Gibbs told her.

"Fine. But if you get in an accident coming home I will kill you." Maggie warned. "And I'll tell Ducky to give you lousy autopsy stitches."

Gibbs smiled into the phone. "Merry Christmas Maggie. I love you."

McGee, Ziva and Tony all heard Gibbs say that. Their shocked faces looked at each other as Gibbs hung the phone up. Gibbs ignored them as he opened his bottom desk drawer and looked at Maggie's Christmas present. They had said no big gifts this year. Neither of them really needed or wanted anything, they had all they needed, but Gibbs had started his gift not long after they had gotten married. To keep Maggie from snooping he'd leave it locked in his truck when he wasn't working on it and bring it to work when he was there.

"Ziva David." Ziva answered her phone when it rang. "Shalom to you too Maggie, what can I help you with?"

Gibbs peeked around his computer and looked over at Ziva. Why was Maggie calling Ziva.

"Yes, I completely understand, it is too dangerous…I will…..I will make sure that he does not…You did? Okay, I will check. Merry Christmas."

Ziva looked over at Gibbs who was waiting.

"Well? Do I have to guess?" Gibbs asked his agent.

"Maggie has given me express orders to make sure you do not attempt to drive home until the roads are clear."

Gibbs snickered and looked back at the paperwork on his desk.

"I have permission to do whatever it takes to stop you."

"I'd pay money to see that. Gibbs vs. David. Who would win?" Tony pondered out loud.

"My money would be on Ziva." McGee said from his desk causing Gibbs to give him a look of disbelief. "Come on Boss, you'd never hit Ziva."

"If it meant stopping me from getting home to spend Christmas with my wife I might." Gibbs commented.

Ziva put her hands on Gibbs' desk and leaned forward. "And your wife would kill me if anything happened to you. I like your wife."

"What did Maggie want you to check on?" Gibbs asked Ziva.

"It appears that Maggie cooked up a surprise with Abby and we are to go down to Abby's lab."

Gibbs stood up and told the team to follow him to the elevator.

"They're here." Abby said to Maggie who had called after she hung up with Ziva. "I'll make sure too. Merry Christmas."

"What's the surprise Abs?" Gibbs started to ask and then he saw the food on the table Abby had set up in her office.

"Maggie knew you'd be here for Christmas Eve so she wanted you all to have something good to eat." Maggie handed everyone a paper plate and some plastic silverware.

"Where did you keep this all?" McGee asked as he saw the trays of lasagna, eggplant parmesan, meatballs and sauce along with rolls and salad.

"I kept it in a freezer in the morgue." Ducky said as he came in with a cart of waters and soda and ice.

"Alone right?" Tony wanted to know.

Gibbs slapped Tony on the back of the head.

"And I heated it up in here."

"When did she plan all this?" McGee asked Gibbs.

"Damned if I know." He answered as he piled lasagna on his plate.

"She and I cooked it up." Ducky admitted. "We were talking about Christmas Day and I told her she should come to the annual film showing in MTAC, but she declined. Something about it not being a favorite movie and that some traditions should be kept."

"How does anyone not like 'It's a Wonderful Life'? Even I like it and I don't celebrate Christmas." Ziva commented.

"It's DiNozzo thing." Tony muttered. "Movie reminds her too much of my Dad and she never watches it."

Gibbs took his plate and walked out into Abby's outer lab. The only light in the room came from the strings of lights Abby had hung up. He looked up at the windows and wished he could be home with Maggie right now. He wanted to thank her for thinking of his team and setting all this up with Ducky.

"Don't make me use my handcuffs." Abby said as she came to stand next to him.

"You too Abs?"

"Maggie doesn't want to lose you because you have to be stubborn and do things your way." Abby threaded her arm though Gibbs' and rested her head on his shoulder. "Maggie really loves you."

Gibbs nodded his head. "I know Abs."

"And you don't have to say it, but I know you really love her too. I can tell. I've never seen you look this content."

Gibbs kissed Abby on the top of her head.

"But if you try to leave, I will handcuff you to Mass Spec."

"I'm not the biggest fan of this movie." Maggie protested as Jackson pushed her into the living room.

"Everyone loves 'It's a Wonderful Life'." Jackson steered Maggie to the couch and then sat beside her with Senior on the other side of Maggie.

"Why do you keep your television in that cabinet thingy?" Jackson pointed over to the armoire on the wall by the fire place.

"Gibbs and I don't watch much television. The only reason we have this one is because Tony bought it for us as a wedding gift."

"So why not hang it up on the all or over the fireplace. Isn't that where most people put flat screened televisions?" Senior commented.

"Most people, yes. Gibbs and I found the armoire at a junk yard and I refinished it. So now the TV is in the living room but I don't have to see it all the time." Maggie leaned forward and picked up her cup of egg-nog and took a sip.

"Jeez, a little heavy handed with the whiskey Senior?"

"Family recipe." He told her and picked up the remote. "How do you use this thing?"

Maggie was trapped. She did not want to watch this movie at all. Gibbs had asked Maggie to come to NCIS to watch it with the rest of them, but she declined. She remembered watching the movie when she was younger with Senior and when Tony got older, he'd go on about watching it with him and how wonderful it was and how great Senior was that particular Christmas. Maggie knew Tony was just trying to convince himself that Senior was a good guy. He still tried to convince himself of that. But Maggie resented Seniors absence all those years and this movie was a big reminder of it.

Gibbs and the team watched the movie in MTAC; but Gibbs' mind wasn't in Bedford Falls and he wasn't following George Bailey's journey to see what would happen if he hadn't been born. From the moment George told Mary that he'd lasso the moon and pull it down to give to her, his thoughts had been on Maggie. He knew he'd do the same thing for Maggie. How he'd been blessed to be able to feel this way again was beyond his imagination. He'd done so much damage to his own life and several women along the way; he should have been cursed to stay alone the rest of his life alone. But he wasn't and right now he wanted to go home, carry Maggie up to their bedroom, lock them in and show her how much she meant to him.

The movie ended finally and Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up the empty glasses and took them into the kitchen and put them in the sink. Outside the kitchen window, the snow had finally stopped. Neighbors were out again with snow blowers making room for Santa's visit.

"News man just said the roads should be open by morning." Senior's voice made Maggie jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't. My mind was just somewhere else." Maggie whistled for the dog and let Freckles out into the back yard.

"You know;" Senior began to say "Junior and I loved watching that movie at Christmas time."

"Dad, you know what? I hate that movie. When it would come on at Christmas all I could think of is that you couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone and call me. Not once after Tony's mom died did you even try. I know all my gifts came from her; you probably didn't even know she did that did you? But you knew that she willed me the pearls and wanted them back. I wasn't family I believe was what you said. "

Senior knew Maggie was angry; he didn't even try to stop Maggie. He doubted that she even knew what she'd said.

"That movie reminds me that in your eyes, I was never born. Tony was your first born from your new life. Me? I was the child from the life you wanted to forget about. The life that embarrassed you. Out of site out of mind. Mom and Dad tried to help me understand, but how do you tell a little girl that her birth father, he didn't send a birthday gift. He wasn't there for her graduation. You were invited to my wedding, granted you weren't going to walk me down the aisle, but no, what do you do? I get card and a check from wife number who knows what and not signed but a stamped signature. "

Maggie was pacing back and forth across the kitchen. Jackson stayed in the living room ready to step in if he was needed. He knew Maggie had a few egg nogs and the whiskey had loosened her tongue up.

"How about when Jamie was born. I know that Tony bought the gift that was supposed to be from you, he tried to forge your signature, but I never told him that I knew. And the best of the best. James' funeral. You sent flowers signed Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo – sorry for your loss. Nice sentiment."

Jackson cringed, thought that topped the date bringing.

"You never even called when Mom died. Not a card, not flowers not anything. And now, you show up to get to know your grandson that you never had time for before."

Tears were streaming down Maggie's face. Senior wanted to go to her and hug her and tell her the truth, his truth, not some story, but why he really stayed away from her and to try and make up for all the mistakes.

"I'm going to bed. Merry Christmas." Maggie barked at Senior and stomped up the stairs. Jackson came into the kitchen and took out two glasses from the cabinet and carried the whiskey to the table. He splashed some liquid in each glass and pushed one towards Senior.

"That was the first time she's ever called me Dad."

Tony, McGee and Ziva made make shift beds behind their desks. Abby was in her lab sleeping and Ducky had found someplace to camp out for the night. Gibbs sat at his desk, watching the news updates on mute on the television. At three a.m. the roads had been declared open.

"Hey, guys…" Gibbs called to his team members quietly. When they didn't respond, he went and shook them each gently to wake them up.

"Roads are open, time to go home."


	9. Chapter 9

By three in the morning Gibbs and Tony were on the road driving back to Gibbs' house. Gibbs drove while Tony sat quietly in the passenger seat checking his phone. Gibbs was happy for the silence. The roads were open but not all of them had been completely plowed yet.

"Boss, do you Maggie ever fight?" Tony asked out of nowhere.

"What?" Gibbs replied.

"You know, argue, and yell at each other?"

"Why the hell are you asking me this?" Gibbs slowed to a stop at a red light.

"People…you know…in a relationship don't get along 24/7. You and Maggie have been together over a year now and I've never seen her mad at you…or you at her…not that you'd show it at work, you never show any emotions like that unless it's at us."

The light changed and Gibbs continued through the intersection. Right now in the car, Tony was family, not someone who worked for him. It was one of those blurring the lines moments.

"Yeah, we argue." Gibbs answered.

"Really?" Tony was surprised that Gibbs answered at all. "About what?"

"What if I said none of your business?" Gibbs asked him.

Tony shrugged. "At least I know that the perfect couple has problems too."

"We don't have problems, we are two people who live in the same house and sometimes we argue. You argue with me." Gibbs told Tony.

"Not often, and I'd never win."

"It's not about winning or losing. It's about being able to say you don't like what the other person is doing and even if you yell at them or lose your temper, you still love them."

Tony looked at Gibbs, his mouth hanging open. This was a surprising insight to Gibbs.

"But don't think you'll be winning any arguments with me any time soon." Gibbs commented as he took the turn down his street.

"So Maggie does things that drive you nuts?" Tony grinned. "Like what."

Gibbs smirked at Tony and pulled the car into the driveway. His father was right, Maggie had been using the snow blower. There wouldn't be much for him to do later. He got out of the car and Tony followed him into the house.

"You get the couch, the spare room is taken. I'll get you a blanket and pillow." Gibbs told Tony.

"I've never slept here before." Tony said looking somewhat perplexed.

"What?" Gibbs asked seeing Tony's face.

"You and Maggie will be upstairs, in bed, together."

"Yeah, that's how we usually sleep."

"I know." Tony was hoping that was all that they would be doing tonight.

Gibbs however had other plans in mind. As he took the blanket and pillow out of the downstairs linen closet.

"Here ya go." Gibbs tossed a blanket, pillow and earplugs he'd found in the linen closet at Tony. "You might need them." He smirked as he took the stairs two at a time to the second floor.

Tony looked at the earplugs and blanched.

Closing the door behind him softly and locking it, Gibbs took in the sleeping form in the bed. Maggie had on one of his tee shirts like she did most nights he worked late. Her foot was peeking out at the bottom of the bed where she had kicked the sheets off. He watched as she sighed in her sleep and turned on to her back. The covers had dipped down exposing the top half of her body to the night air. Instantly the cool air in the bedroom made her nipples hard beneath the thin cotton material of the tee shirt. Slowly he made his way over to Maggie's side of the bed. He sat down gently by her legs, his hands moved up along the shape they made under the blanket. Maggie stirred slightly.

Maggie was dreaming. She could feel Gibbs running his hand up along her leg, the blanket that was covering her body being pulled down, cold air nipped at her body. The blanket was no longer covering her legs and she could feel his work hardened hands slide up the outside of her thigh and back down. Maggie sighed at the feel. This was a nice dream; she wished Gibbs was really there with her. She loved the sensation of his fingers exploring her body.

Maggie moaned into the pillow she was hugging. This was one hell of a dream. Now she could feel Gibbs fingers tracing along the lines of her panties. His touch was light and maddening at the same time. She felt his fingers slip up under the elastic at the waist and his whole hand move under the material in the back to cup her backside. His hands were cold but she moved her hips back into his touch. Then his hand was gone and Maggie whimpered in her sleep. She didn't want the dream to end. Maggie moved her hand down to where she dreamed Gibbs was kissing her and she felt her husband's head just above her stomach. He was alternating between kissing and running his tongue along her stomach.

"This is the best dream I've ever had." She said sleepily. "If you stop now and I wake up and it's not real, I'm going to cry."

She felt him laugh against her skin. Her hands reached down and threaded into his hair. "Am I dreaming?"

Gibbs lightly nipped at her skin. "Nope."

"Good." She smiled. "Don't stop."

"Don't plan on stopping." Gibbs moved his body further up on Maggie's and straddled her hips. His fingers reached under the edges of the tee shirt and slid it up her body exposing her breasts to him. He let go of the tee shirt and put his hands on either side of her breasts. He moved his thumbs back and forth across the hard nipples and Maggie cried out softly. He looked down at Maggie, her eyes closed, her hair spread out on the pillow, arms stretched out gripping the blankets and lowered his mouth down and took a nipple in his mouth. He sucked on it gently and Maggie ground her hips up against him. He released the nipple and moved to the other and did the same. Maggie arched her back, her breathing becoming heavy.

He moved up along her chest, kissing his way up the side of her neck while his hands pulled her tee shirt up and over her head. That too joined the pile on the floor.

Maggie felt Gibbs shift his body and lay on top of her as he kissed her neck. His body was heavy and hard on hers, the hairs on his chest tickling against her body. When his kisses moved up from her neck, along her jawline and to her lips, Maggie's eyes were wide open. In the moonlight coming through the window, she saw the total desire in his eyes.

"Not a dream." She stated tracing his lower lip with her thumb.

Gibbs nipped at her thumb. "No. Not a dream." His mouth lowered to hers, he took her lower lip and sucked on it, nipping gently. Her top lip was next and then he ran his tongue along her lower lip causing her mouth to open. He kissed her greedily, his tongue plunging in and out of her mouth. Maggie found her hips rocking up against his to the rhythm of his tongue invading her mouth.

"Your jeans are still on." Maggie said as she tried to catch her breath. Gibbs had moved his mouth away from hers and was running the tip of his tongue down the front of her neck. He took her hands and put them up over her head on the pillow.

"Don't move them." He commanded her. "Or I'll stop."

"Oh God." Maggie thought as he resumed his kisses down between her breasts. She wanted to touch him, she needed to touch him, but he would stop if she moved her hands. Instead she grabbed at the pillow as his hand moved down her side to her hip and his fingers grabbed the thin strap of elastic there. With a quick twist of his fingers, the elastic snapped and broke away. Gibbs never stopped working his mouth flicking his tongue under her breasts, kissing and sucking the sensitive skin.

Gibbs tried to think of anything to keep his self-control as he shifted his weight to the other side of Maggie's body. He wrapped his fingers around the thin elastic on the other side of her hip and snapped that one as well. With a gentle tug, the scrap of material was on the floor and his wife was completely naked.

Putting his hands next to her, held his upper body off of her and moved down her body. He sensed Maggie's breathing speed up as his tongue found her belly button again. Her hands started to move away from the pillow and he stopped.

"Keep them there." He warned her and when she moved her hands back to the pillow, he kissed his way down below her belly button and from one hip to the other. He knew she was excited, he could feel the warmth radiating from between her legs. He ran his tongue from her hip to her inner thigh and back. He moved his body down until his head hovered above the dark red hair at the juncture of her thighs.

This wasn't the first time Gibbs had done this to her. She loved the things that her husband could do with his tongue. She also knew the reaction she had when he was doing things to her like that and a moment of panic set in. They weren't alone in the house.

"Gibbs." She called out in a whisper.

"You'll have to be quiet." He teased his wife as his fingers moved down along her inner thigh. Maggie's legs moved further apart as his long fingers found their mark and moved slowly up and down along the now wet curls between her legs. "Quiet baby. You can do it."

Maggie bit her lower lip to stop from crying out as he slipped a finger inside her and slowly moved it in and out. She almost had to pull a pillow over her head when the second finger joined the first.

"I don't know if I can." Maggie panted as she felt pressure building in her lower body.

"Sure you can. You didn't send dessert."

Maggie didn't understand what he meant until she felt his mouth and tongue replace his fingers. With a few well-placed strokes of his tongue, Maggie felt her body come apart.

Gibbs loved the way Maggie moved against his mouth as she came. His body needed its release. Quickly he removed the rest of his clothes and kissed his way back up Maggie's body. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he slowly slid into her body. He groaned at how hot and wet she was; he could still feel her muscles contracting as he buried himself all the inside her. Maggie thrust her hips up to his encouraging him to move. Slowly he pulled almost completely out and then thrust back in. Maggie's hands grabbed at his backside urging him to go faster, her legs tightening at his waist. He began moving faster, driving his body harder into hers. Maggie arched her head back into the pillow as another orgasm took over her body. She was biting her lower lip to stop from crying out. Gibbs looked down at her flushed face, her lips swollen from his kisses and her biting her lip and he felt his own release building. Thankful for his wife's flexibility, he hooked his arm under one of her legs and moved it up. His thrusts began to lose their rhythm as his climax got closer.

"Oh. ." Maggie bit out as her another orgasm begin to build.

An explosive orgasm rocked Gibbs body just as Maggie came for the third time. Gibbs felt like he had no control over his lower body as it pumped its way into hers. His breath was ragged in her ear as his body finally began to still. As the last of him spilled out into her, he lowered his body down onto hers trying not to put his full weight on top of her.

For several long minutes the two of them stayed locked like that until he felt his cock soften and slide out. He rolled onto his side, pulling Maggie with him. He reached out and pushed the sweat soaked strands of hair off his wife's face.

"My body feels like jello." Maggie told Gibbs. "I don't think I could move even if I had to. What brought that on?"

"I wanted to show you how I felt."

"I know how you feel."

"I don't say it enough." Gibbs traced his thumb along her chin.

"You don't have to use words to tell me you love me. I know you do."

"I love you." Gibbs said simply.

"I love you too." Maggie said.

Gibbs pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. They were soon fast asleep.

The sound of the shower running in the master bathroom woke up Gibbs. Maggie wasn't on her side of the bed, so he knew she was already up. The smell of coffee coming from downstairs told him that their guests were up too. Throwing the covers off, Gibbs padded across the hardwood floor and stepped in to the bathroom.

"Not often you wake up before me." Gibbs said to Maggie as he relieved his full bladder.

"Merry Christmas to you too." Maggie said from inside the shower.

The shower door opened up and Gibbs stepped in behind Maggie. The shower was big enough for both of them to use and not be on top of each other, but that never stopped Gibbs from getting as close as he could to her.

"Merry Christmas to you too." He wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her neck.

"I thought you'd be tired after last night." Maggie pulled her wet hair off her neck giving Gibbs more skin to kiss.

"Just taking a shower." He murmured against her neck.

"That's not what your body is saying." Maggie felt him hard against her lower back as she leaned into him. "I guess I should make sure nothing is wrong." She turned and gave him a wicked grin as she pushed him to lean back against the tile wall.

Gibbs looked down through half closed eyes as Maggie kneeled in front of him and took him into her mouth. His fingers worked into her wet hair holding her head while her tongue and mouth moved up and down his length.

"Hey Maggie, you in there?" Tony knocked on the hall door to the master bathroom. "Ducky called, he's on his way. Any chance I could get in there to take a shower? I'm getting kind of ripe."

Gibbs groaned at the vibration of Maggie's laugh against his cock. Maggie took him out of her mouth and replaced her hands around his solid length.

"Give me ten minutes Tony." Maggie said before taking Gibbs back into her mouth.

"Come on Mags, you'll use up all the hot water." Tony begged from the hallway.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs barked at his brother in law. Tony jumped back. Maggie and Gibbs were in the shower. Together. And from the tension in Gibbs' voice…Tony made a little gagging gesture as he turned and walked quickly down the hallway.

Gibbs forgot all about Tony as Maggie's hands cupped his balls and squeezed gently. Just as he felt his body about to explode, he grabbed Maggie and pulled her up, spinning her around to face the wall. He grabbed her hips and took her from behind. He wasn't gentle and Maggie welcomed his body, both of them climaxing at the same time.

Maggie could feel her husband's heart slamming in his chest as they stood together, her head resting on his finished showering and stepped out of the shower. Maggie could never get enough of watching Gibbs dry off. He had the body of a man half his age. Though you'd never know it by the way he dressed, the muscles he developed when he was younger still existed. His six-pack abs may not be as defined as they once were, but there was very little fat on his body. Just lean muscle and a variety of scars that all had their own story.

"How'd it go last night?" Gibbs asked as they went into the bedroom to get dressed.

Maggie shrugged her shoulders. "Some of it is a little fuzzy. There must have been pure alcohol in the egg-nog."

"Tony told me what kind of whiskey he used. I snagged some orange soda from the vending machines before we left. They're downstairs."

Maggie walked over and kissed her husband on the cheek. For some odd reason, if Maggie drank too much, the only cure she knew would work for her was orange soda. Gibbs never teased her, but knew if she went out with the teachers from work on a Friday night, or with Abby and Ziva, he made sure there was orange soda in the fridge.

"I think I yelled at him. But I don't remember an argument. It doesn't matter. He can spend time with Jamie today and then he'll be gone." Maggie put her jeans and tee shirt on and swore.

Gibbs turned to look at her. That is when he noticed the hickeys on her neck. She turned and gave him the fish eye. "Really Gibbs?"

He smiled and ran his finger over the little love bites he'd left on her neck.

"I hate wearing turtle necks." She muttered as she searched in the closet for one.

"I like the way you look in them." Gibbs told her as he put his socks on. "Especially the black one. Hugs everything the right way."

Gibbs came into the kitchen first. Jackson was checking the turkey in the oven while Senior and Tony peeled the potatoes.

"Oh, if it isn't Mr. Clean." Tony said sarcastically to Gibbs.

"Leave him alone Junior, he's still a newlywed." Senior scolded his son.

Gibbs took a sip of his waiting coffee before he put on his jacket and gloves.

"I gave you earplugs Tony." Gibbs smirked as he whistled for the dog. "I'm going to shovel and get some more wood for the fire. Showers free Tony if you still need it."

"Probably needs to be bleached down after the two of them. Ow!" Tony yelled as Maggie came into the kitchen and smacked him on the back of the head. "What is it, you take the last name of Gibbs and get head slapping rights?"

"That means I get them too?" Jackson asked as he put the turkey back in the oven.

"No it means my brother needs better manners."

Maggie kissed Jackson and then Tony on the cheek wishing them Merry Christmas. After a moment's hesitation, she did the same to Senior.

"You sleep well?" Senior asked her.

"I'm afraid to ask what proof the whiskey was you used in the egg-nog." Maggie commented as she snapped the tab on the can of orange soda.

"You use that too?" Senior asked watching Maggie drink down half the can of soda after taking an aspirin.

"Works on killing hangovers." Tony answered. "Mags taught it to when I was at Ohio State."

"Hmph." Senior muttered. "Guess I passed that cure on to both of you."

Tony looked at Maggie and then at Senior. "Works for you?"

"Only thing that does. That one time I had to stay at Gibbs' house. He didn't have any there. I had to settle for warm milk to help me sleep. Damned headache from drinking too much wouldn't let me sleep."

"Guess that's a family trait you passed down to your young." Jackson quipped from the counter. The two old men had sat up until close to 1 in the morning talking. Jackson may never agree with some of the things Senior had done concerning his children, but after listening to him, he'd agreed to try and smooth a path between Maggie and him.

"What else do we have in common Mags? I mean, you didn't get the tall gene, you are kind of on the munchkin side." Tony teased his sister.

"Well at least I don't have to worry about my hair." Maggie tossed back.

Tony reached up and ran his hand over his head. "My hair is fine."

"Your hair is fine Junior." Senior finished the potato he was working on and set it with the other. "You both got DiNozzo hair, nice and thick, just different colors."

"Yeah Mags, where did you get the red from? A box?"

Maggie stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"No son, Grandma DiNozzo was a redhead too."

Tony looked at his father and tried to remember her.

"An Italian with red hair?" He was skeptical.

"And a temper to match." Senior told him. "Maggie has her eyes too. Somewhere in the family tree an Irishman worked his way in to add the green eyes and red hair."

"Can you cook like your sister?" Jackson asked.

"No. I can cook to feed myself, but Maggie is the family cook. Kind of like Dad."

Maggie opened the second can of soda and sipped it quietly.

"I can cook because I like to, Maggie takes after her mother though. She never needed a recipe to make something; she'd just see what was in the house and create something wonderful. My favorite was rigatoni, butter, parmesan and…." Senior couldn't think of the last ingredient.

Tony and Maggie answered simultaneously "Bacon."

"Yes." Senior snapped his fingers. "That's it."

"Maybe you could make some for us before we go." Jackson said.

"Maybe. But now we have a dinner to get ready." Maggie said changing the subject.

The kitchen door opened and Freckles came in dragging a 3 foot long rawhide bone. She could barely get through the door with it.

"Where did that come from?" Maggie asked Gibbs who walked in behind the dog.

"Santa."

"Merry Christmas." Jamie called out from the front door. He peeked his head around the corner to judge the reception. Maggie walked over and hugged her son.

"Mad at me Mom?" he whispered in her ear.

"Not mad. We'll talk later about it." She smiled up at her son.

"What? You've got that look?" Jamie said to his mother.

Maggie patted him on the chest. "Sometimes I get sentimental, that's all."

Jamie put down the bag he was carrying and went over to hug Gibbs. "Give your Mom a break; she's had an interesting couple of days."

"Understood." Jamie stepped back and nodded his head at Gibbs.

Jamie finished hugging the rest of the people in the kitchen and asked what he could do to help. Maggie gave everyone a job and soon the kitchen was empty except for the dog that was busy chewing on her rawhide. Freckles didn't even get up when Ducky came in the kitchen door.

"Please tell me you didn't take the Morgan out in this weather." Maggie asked Ducky about his vintage car.

"No Dear, McGee picked me up. He's bringing in the extra beverages now." Ducky placed the Christmas pudding on the counter while Maggie went out to show McGee where to put his packages.

"Are you troubled Maggie?" Ducky asked when Maggie hadn't come back in right away.

"I'm not sure what to make of my father Ducky."

"You've never referred to him that way before."

"No I haven't. Like it or not, he is my father."

"Faults and all. None of us are perfect. We all have to deal with what has been handed us."

"You know then that my son invited his grandfather here."

"Yes, Jethro told me yesterday." Ducky put his hand on Maggie's arm. "Let's go inside where it's warmer."

Ducky and Maggie went into the kitchen where Senior was standing at the stove stirring something in a pot.

"Wassail." Senior explained. "Can't have a Christmas gathering without it."

"I haven't had any in years." Ducky took a mug and handed it to Senior who ladled some out.

"Mom used to make it too." Maggie said wistfully.

"This is her recipe." Senior handed a mug to her.

"This is amazing. Just like the ones I had in my youth. Shall we toast to your mother's recipe?"

Senior and Ducky lifted their mugs, but Maggie couldn't. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Excuse me." Maggie put her mug down, grabbed a jacket off the door and ran to the garage.

"Shall I get Jethro?" Ducky watched Maggie's retreating form.

"No, I have to do this." Senior put his mug down long enough to put on a jacket. He picked up his mug and Maggie's and followed his daughter out to the garage.

Ducky was alone in the kitchen.

"Are you going to go after them?" Ducky knew that Gibbs was just outside the door. He knew Maggie ran out the door and Senior followed her.

"No. I think they need some time alone."

"Agreed."

Senior found Maggie inside the garage, her arms bracing her body against the workbench. Her head was hanging forward as she let the tears fall from her eyes to leave spots on the wood below. He put the mugs of wassail down nearby and walked over to Maggie. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Maggie, I didn't mean to upset you by making this or bringing up your mother."

Maggie nodded; she couldn't get her voice to work. She felt like there was a golf ball lodged in her throat.

"I think it's time that we talked, that you heard my side of it all."

Maggie shot her father a look. "Don't you dare try to tell me that Mom lied to me."

Anger replaced the sadness that had been in her eyes.

"No. I am not saying she lied to you. I'm the one who lied. I'm the one who couldn't stop the snowball of lies from rolling once it started. After a while it was easier to go with the lies than to tell the truth. Please Maggie, sit down and let me tell you my side." Senior begged.

Maggie sat down on the stool at the table in the middle of the garage. Senior sat across from her and handed her the mug of steaming liquid. She lifted it to her nose and inhaled the smells of Christmas past and took a sip.

She looked over at Senior who was waiting for a sign. She nodded at him and he began.

"Your mother and I were very young when we met and married. You came along before we were married even a year." He began. "I didn't go to college and I had a lousy job. I wanted to give you and your mother the moon and the stars, but I couldn't. We lived pay check to pay check. I'd have one job and manage to talk my way out of it. Your mother was unhappy with me. I was unhappy with me. I'd do anything just to make things right. Then I got a summer job in the Hamptons. The job meant I'd have to live there all summer, but they wouldn't take married men. Single only. The money was good and it would help us out a lot. Your mother and I talked long about it and decided she'd thought it would be good if you went back to Boston for the summer. You were five years old and you went to live with your grandmother. Do you remember?"

"I remember Mom saying we were going to Nana's house at Hampton Beach. In New Hampshire. I remember going to the beach every day and thinking that you were on a beach too not far away. Any time I smell Coppertone lotion I think of Hampton. Nana used to bathe me in it before I went to the beach." Maggie remembered.

"You used to get terrible sun burns. Your mother told me when she'd write to me at the country club I was working at."

"Where you met Tony's mom."

"I met her when I was off work, hanging out with some of the other guys who worked at the club. She didn't know I worked there and that was the first lie I told."

"You mean the second." Maggie said to Senior. "You never told her you were married either."

"No. No I didn't." Tony answered truthfully. "I created such a web of lies about me being the son of a wealthy Italian business man sent to America to learn the culture that even I believed it. And before I knew it … one thing led to another."

"And what about Mom and me? Did you ever think of us?" Maggie needed to know.

"I did. I felt terrible about what I was doing to you."

"But not Mom?"

"I came up to Boston to see your mother in August. Do you remember a weekend when she left you with Nana and your cousins?"

"Sort of. She said she had to take care of something. She said things would be better when she got back. I thought she was sick. I was five, what did I know?"

"She came back to Boston to see me. We spent the entire weekend talking about us and how we felt. I confessed to her that I had fallen in love with another woman and I thought she'd be son angry with me. But she wasn't."

"I don't understand." Maggie was confused.

"While you were up in Hampton, your mother re-connected with Seamus. She realized that she loved him. She was unhappy with me, with our marriage and realized we got married too fast. But we'd made a family together. Your grandmother knew something was going on between your mother and Seamus and made your mother feel terrible."

"I knew they used to fight." Maggie admitted.

"Oh, your mom never argued against her mother. Your Nana was Irish Catholic through and through. She told your mother she was a sinner and a quitter if she divorced me."

Maggie snorted. That sounded like the Nana she remembered.

"When your mother came to see me, after I'd told her about falling in love with someone else, she told me about Seamus. For a long time that night, we just sat there on the bed holding each other, mourning the loss of what we had in the beginning but knowing if we stayed together, it would make all three of us unhappy. I told her I'd go back to New York and start the divorce. I wanted me to be the bad guy. I knew your grandmother would make your mom's life hell, but I wanted her to be happy. Your mother told me that Seamus loved her and he would raise you as your own. I actually met him that weekend."

"You did? How come no one ever told me?" Maggie wanted to know.

"You said it, you were five. Seamus was a good man, with a good job as a cop. He could give you a steady life in Boston with all of your mother's family around you."

"But what about you? Why did you walk away? Why did you forget about me?"

"I didn't forget about you. Never, not one day. See when I went back to the Hamptons, I met Tony's grandfather. He'd had a private detective check me out. He knew I was married and had a child. He also knew his daughter was madly in love with me and he'd do anything to keep her happy. So he agreed to arrange the divorce, get me a job and keep my secret."

"But there was a price wasn't there?"

Senior nodded. "A big price. I couldn't tell her about you. Ever or he'd make sure I regretted it."

"It was that easy for you? To forget about me like that?"

"Maggie, if you hated me and managed to let Seamus be your father and love him and let him be there for you, then I could take your hate. Your mother found ways to let me know about you and what was going on with your life."

"Like the first communion picture." Maggie remembered the dog-eared photo.

"Exactly. And that is the one that Mary found. She had known all along that I had a daughter, she'd found the papers her father had from the detective but she wanted me to come clean. By then she was pregnant with Tony."

"And she started to write Mom and ask her if I could come out to visit."

Senior laughed. "Actually, Mary had called your mom when she found the detectives reports. The two of them had written often. Mary needed to know if she had broken up a happy home. They actually became friends. Mary could see how happy you were with Seamus as your father. When you'd come out to visit, I'd have to make myself scarce to keep you hating me. I didn't want you to ever choose between me and Seamus."

"I wanted my real father to love me. Why didn't you tell me later? Mary's dad died, he had nothing over you any longer. Why did you keep up the pretense?"

"When Mary died, my world fell apart. You saw how I shoved Junior off to boarding school and from what I heard, you stepped in where I failed. You took care of him and made sure that he was loved. Your mom and Seamus did too."

Senior got up and walked over to the window and looked at the house filled with lights and laughter and love.

"I screwed things up so bad after she died. I married one woman than another. I passed that gene to your brother. I wish he'd just find someone, get married and have some children. I'm happy that you two managed to be so close. No matter how bad I messed up being a father, my children managed to stick together and be a family. Now you have Gibbs and his father and the others; Ziva, Abby, Timothy and Dr. Mallard. I understand why you didn't ask me to be there when you and Gibbs got married."

"It was supposed to be me and Gibbs and the Navy Chaplain, but somehow word got out." Maggie offered a weak excuse. Even if it had been planned she would not have invited him.

"I am truly sorry you lost James the way you did. Even though Gibbs lost his wife tragically too, you managed to find each other and find love again. You and Gibbs and Jamie and Tony, you have a family here. Jamie's a fine young man." Senior said still looking out the window.

"He is that. He always asked about you growing up. I never knew what to say to him. Tony always came up with the stories about you. He reminds me of Tony in so many ways."

"I hope he doesn't stay single as long as Tony has." Senior returned to the table. "You'd be a good grandmother."

Maggie looked down at her now empty mug. "You'd be a good grandfather too. Jamie really wants to spend time with you."

"You don't mind if I come to DC and visit?"

Maggie shook her head.

"No Dad, as long as you make time to come here and maybe have dinner or something."

"You did it again." Senior said to here.

"Did what?"

"You called me Dad."

Maggie got up and walked over to the door. "Don't get too used to it. I'm just on the trying out phase."

Senior followed Maggie to the door where she had stopped to turn the light out.

"Any chance you could maybe try out a hug?"

Maggie looked up at her father for a minute before stepping up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck. Senior wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. She let him go and walked with her arm through his back through the yard and up the steps.

"I don't know what to make of that." Tony said as he and Jamie watched from the kitchen windows.

"Me either Uncle Tony."

Gibbs walked up and slapped them both on the back of the head.

"Stop being gawkers and get these plates and silverware out on the table."

Both men rubbed the back of their heads and did as Gibbs asked.

"Please tell there is more wassail left?" Senior asked as he came in the back door with Maggie. "You really need a heater out in that garage Gibbs."

"That's what jackets are for." Gibbs answered; his eyes on his wife. Maggie looked at Gibbs and nodded. She was okay. He knew he'd find out what happened later when they were alone. Right now they had a room full of hungry family to take care of.

The sounds of a football game came from the living room. Ducky was telling everyone that football wasn't really football like he knew it. Ziva was agreeing with him while Abby was listening to stories from Jackson about his days as a pilot. Tony and Jamie were arguing about some play on the field while Maggie and Senior talked about the Boston and New York team rivalries. Gibbs sat on the couch eating a piece of apple pie and taking it all it. It was actually kind of nice to spend Christmas like this he thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Christmas and New Years were long behind them and Valentine's Day was a week away. Maggie was planning a nice romantic dinner for her and Gibbs but she was so tired she couldn't keep her eyes open to look through the cook books for ideas.

"This is just fucking stupid." Maggie slammed the book closed.

Freckles looked up from her bed, her ears perked up.

"Why am I this damned tired?"

She got up from the kitchen stool and stretched her arms over her head. There had been a lot of reports to write for school. The program at the school was under review and she needed to make sure all the paperwork was in order. That stressed her out a bit. She thought about going for a run, but another jaw cracking yawn put that to an end.

Walking into the living room, she grabbed the afghan, lie down on the couch and fell asleep. Maybe if she could take a short nap, she'd feel better.

Gibbs pulled his truck behind Maggie's car in the driveway. The house was dark. Gibbs walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. He saw Freckles trot in from the living room and stretch.

"Need to go out girl?" Freckles let out a little bark and bound through the door into the yard.

Gibbs walked into the living room and found Maggie asleep on the couch. He crouched down next to her and shook her shoulder gently.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty."

Maggie opened her eyes. "Holy crap, what time is it?"

"About 7:00. You feeling okay?" Gibbs put his hand to her forehead and felt for a temperature.

"I'm fine. I've just been really tired, that's all." Maggie assured him, sitting up on the couch. As she went to stand the room spun. Gibbs instinctively grabbed her arms to steady here.

"My ass you're just tired." Gibbs sounded truly concerned.

"Tired and hungry, that's all. My appetite is off lately too. Really Gibbs I'm fine."

"What's bringing this on?" he asked his wife as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Recertification at the school. Tons of paperwork. Just a bit of stress that's all." Maggie assured him, but Gibbs wasn't buying it.

Maggie was the epitome of healthy. She ran every day, took a yoga or Pilates class, one of those classes that makes you bend in weird ways he thought. She wasn't a health nut in the food department, but she ate well. Not a lot of junk food, lots of water.

"I'll warm up some sauce. Can you put the water on for pasta?"

Gibbs kept an eye on Maggie during dinner. She pushed the pasta around the bowl and only ate a few forkfuls of it. After dinner Gibbs asked if she wanted to go out and work in the garage. He'd been working on a bench for the porch and Maggie usually sat with him and they talked or she worked on the plant stand she was refinishing. But tonight she declined and said she was going to bed early. She was more tired than she thought.

The alarm went off at 5 a.m. Gibbs got up first and would let Maggie sleep until 5:30. He got into the shower and was just lathering up his hair when he heard Maggie run into the bathroom and throw up in the toilet. Quickly he rinsed his hair off and turned the taps off before wrapping a towel around his waist. Maggie was throwing up again when he came out.

"That's it. You're calling in sick and going to see your doctor." Gibbs said as he handed her a wash cloth. "I'm going to call Tony and tell him I'll be late."

"You'll do no such thing." Maggie stood up after she felt the need to puke again had passed. "I'm a big girl and can go alone."

"I'm taking you." Gibbs said again as they walked into the bedroom.

Maggie didn't answer him. She picked up her cellphone and called in to the absentee line for teachers.

"I may not get an appointment until later in the day Gibbs." She said as she crawled back under the covers. "It's flu season remember? I'm just gonna go back to sleep and I'll call when the office is open."

Maggie went right back to sleep. Gibbs finished dressing and went to check on Maggie again. She didn't have a fever, which was a good sign he guessed as he pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.

When Gibbs got back into the office after being out in the field, there was a message from Maggie saying she'd gotten a 5:00 appointment and she'd talk to him when he got home. She told him to pick up dinner in case she was at the doctors longer than expected due to the doctor's schedule. Gibbs stopped to pick up Chinese food on the way home. Maggie's car was parked in the driveway and the bedroom light was on upstairs.

"Maggie?" Gibbs called as he walked into the kitchen.

"Upstairs." Came the reply from the second floor.

Gibbs took the stairs two at a time and walked down to the bedroom. Maggie was sitting in the middle of the bed, an odd expression on her face.

"What did the doctor say? Is it the flu?" he asked as he hung his coat up.

"Nope, not the flu."

"Well what?" Gibbs asked.

"Go look on the bathroom counter."

Gibbs gave her a confused look as he walked into the bathroom. There on the counter were 4 pregnancy tests, each taken. He picked each of them up and read them. He carried one of them to the door and looked over at Maggie.

"You're pregnant?"

"I'm pregnant." Maggie nodded.

"I thought…I thought you couldn't get pregnant." Gibbs answer came out a bit stronger than intended.

"Doctors told me that I couldn't, but when I was examined today they ran the blood tests and they came back pregnant. I mean it's been almost 25 years. Not once did I get pregnant after Jamie." Maggie realized she was babbling and that her husband was just staring at her.

"Gibbs, say something. "

Gibbs was dumbfounded at the news. He stood in the bathroom doorway, pregnancy test in one hand, staring at his wife. Maggie was sitting in the middle of the bed, legs crossed, and pillow in her lap and she was tugging at the pillow case waiting for her husband to say something. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. He was going to be a father… again.

"Gibbs, please you're starting to scare me. Say something. Anything. Storm out of the room angry. Standing there staring at me isn't helping." Maggie fought the tears building behind her eyes, but it didn't help and they started to fall.

Gibbs knew he was being an ass, he was just in shock. Seeing Maggie start to cry broke the spell and he moved quickly to the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't cry." He held her and ran his hand up and down her back. "I'm not mad."

Maggie mumbled something into his shoulder.

Gibbs leaned back and brushed her tears away. "Didn't quite get that."

"You're not mad, but are you happy?"

"How do you feel about it?" He deflected the question back to her.

"I'm shocked. I thought it wasn't possible. I mean Jamie is almost 25 and I had such a rough pregnancy with him that the doctors said I probably wouldn't get pregnant again."

"Probably?"

"It never happened Gibbs. James and I tried and it never happened. Then he died and well…"

"What did your lady doctor say?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"She recommended me to a specialist. Someone who deals in high risk pregnancy."

"This will be a high risk pregnancy?"

"I don't know yet Gibbs. Women my age can still have babies safely. It's the pregnancy with Jamie that made her refer me." Maggie paused to catch her breath. "Do you want to come with me?"

Gibbs' smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Tell me when."

"Tomorrow morning."

It wasn't lost on Maggie that Gibbs hadn't said if he was happy or not about the pregnancy. He'd only told her he wasn't angry. Maggie told Gibbs the appointment was at 9am the next morning. He was going to go into work and meet her at the doctor's office. She told Gibbs she wasn't hungry and went to bed early. Gibbs sat in the kitchen alone eating the Chinese food. Well, he was actually picking at it. His appetite was off too. Pushing the container away from him he picked up his beer and took a long sip of it. What was wrong with him? The news wasn't bad news, it was unexpected. After he lost Kelly he never thought of having children again. Okay, his ex-wife Stephanie had a miscarriage when they were in Moscow and he had thought he was Tomas' father, but that wasn't true. Jamie was his step-son and he loved being step-father to the young man. He loved being godfather to Amira and spending time with her.

Gibbs suddenly slapped the back of his own head. Maggie wanted to know if he was happy about the pregnancy. He didn't answer because he didn't know if he was happy. Maybe he was selfish and didn't want to share Maggie with a baby. Maybe he didn't want to go through all of that again. He heard 'high risk pregnancy' and he got scared. Scared that Maggie could die and right now he'd rather have Maggie alive and well than a baby. That truth scared him too.

Maggie hadn't fallen right to sleep. She could hear Gibbs in the kitchen, he'd put the radio on and was listening to the news or something on the radio. Try as she might, she couldn't fall asleep. Gibbs didn't look happy about the news. Outside of the first time they'd slept together and she'd told him she couldn't get pregnant, there was never another discussion about protection. Maggie woke up close to midnight to use the bathroom, she saw that the lights on in the garage so she knew he was out there working on something. The basement in his old house had always been his go to for escape when he was avoiding or upset. Maggie knew he was doing that again tonight.

The kitchen was terribly silent the next morning while they sat there; Gibbs drank his coffee while Maggie watched him with envy. No coffee for her now; not the way she drank it before.

"I can have an abortion." Maggie blurted out to Gibbs making him choke on his coffee.

"No." He said when he finally stopped coughing. "Absolutely not."

He hadn't said much more besides kissing her on the forehead and telling her he'd see her at 9. Maggie stood with her back against the door after he left. There was no I Iove you, just a kiss on the head. They had had arguments over the past year, dumb things like where the jam goes or his leaving a little a little milk in the carton. Arguments were always settled before they went to bed, but this was different and Maggie was worried.

Gibbs met Maggie in the lobby of the brick and glass office building. He followed her down the hall and into the office. Immediately he felt out of place in the waiting room with women in various stages of pregnancy sitting reading magazines to the posters on the wall advertising the benefits of breast feeding. He took a seat and reached for a magazine that showed a beaming pregnant woman and her large stomach painted with a red heart for Valentine's Day. Gibbs put the magazine back down and watched as Maggie sat back down next to him to fill out paperwork. He was thankful that the wait to see the doctor wasn't long.

"Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs. I'm Dr. Susannah Richman." The doctor sat down opposite Maggie and Gibbs at her desk. Gibbs thought she looked awful young to be a doctor.

"I know that look Mr. Gibbs, I am old enough to be a doctor and I've been specializing in high risk pregnancies from the start." Dr. Richman smiled at him. "Now let's look at Maggie's records."

Maggie took a deep breath and nodded. She felt Gibbs take her hand in his again and squeeze it.

"It says here that you had a complicated pregnancy with your son."

"Yes, I had a hard time getting pregnant with Jamie and I was very sick, terrible morning sickness and then I had complete placenta previa causing Jamie to be born a month early." Maggie confirmed.

Gibbs had no idea what that meant, he made a mental note to find out.

"And you didn't get pregnant again?" the doctor asked while she continued to read over the paperwork.

"No. All my life my periods have been irregular and that continued after Jamie was born. My late husband and I tried, but it just didn't happen."

"Was your late husband ever tested?" the doctor wanted to know.

"Tested? For what?" Maggie was confused.

"You assumed it was just on your part that you couldn't get pregnant, but there is the possibility that it was partially his fault as well. He may have had a low sperm count."

Gibbs closed his eyes. Were they really talking about James' sperm count?

"Well there is no way of knowing that now." Dr. Richman continued. "And it has no real bearing on this baby. So, let's do an exam and we'll see where we are."

The doctor got up and led Gibbs and Maggie to an examination room. "Will you be staying?" Dr. Richman's nurse asked Gibbs.

"Yes." Gibbs answered before Maggie told him he could wait outside.

The nurse handed Maggie a gown and a small blanket to cover herself while they waited for the doctor to come back. Maggie slipped into the small bathroom off of the exam room and changed into the gown. Gibbs had never been in an obstetrician's exam room. He took everything in. There was a padded table with stirrups tucked into it at the end. A small sink and cabinets took up an area in the corner and there were diagrams of pregnancies everywhere. Gibbs walked over to a pamphlet holder that advocated the benefits of breast feeding and another on home births and one on water births. He was reading the on water births when Maggie came out of the bathroom.

"You can totally forget that one. I'm hospital and pain killers all the way." Maggie told Gibbs as she stepped up on the small step and sat on the examination table.

"Good." Gibbs put the pamphlet back and looked at Maggie "Who wants to give birth like a dolphin?" His face was complete confusion.

"You weren't around when Shannon had Kelly were you?"

"Deployed. Missed most of the pregnancy too." Gibbs took the small blanket the nurse had given Maggie and placed it over her legs.

"So this is your first time in an exam room?" Maggie didn't expect Gibbs to answer, he looked uncomfortable enough. "But you've delivered a baby, remember?"

"How can I forget? Ziva made me." Gibbs replied remembering that Christmas Eve a few years ago.

A soft knock on the door announced Dr. Richman was ready to do the exam.

"Okay, Mr. Gibbs."

"Just Gibbs is fine." Gibbs told the doctor.

"Okay, Gibbs, why don't you go stand by Maggie's head. Maggie, you can lay back and slip your bottom down to the edge. Good."

Gibbs stood silently and watched as Maggie's feet were put into the stirrups and the doctor sat at a stool at her feet. A bright light was shown down in the area of Maggie's vagina and Gibbs felt a little uncomfortable. Maggie stifled a grin and took her husband's hand. If he had a clear shot for the door he would have taken it and left the room.

The doctor pulled out an instrument from a sealed plastic bag and Gibbs watched as the instrument was inserted into Maggie and he heard the clicking after it was in.

"Is that supposed to make that sound?"

The three women in the room, Maggie, Dr. Richman and the female nurse all smiled at him like he was the village idiot.

"It's perfectly normal Gibbs. I'm making some room so I can try to see how Maggie is doing down there."

"You don't have to tell me anymore." Gibbs shook his head.

Dr. Richman finished her internal exam and ran a tape measure over Maggie's belly. When she finished, she told Maggie to get dressed and meet her back in the office.

"Okay, everything looks completely normal. I'd say you are about 6 weeks along judging from what you have told me and I put your due date…"the doctor took out a little calendar wheel and did some calculations. "Around September."

"And the high risk part of her pregnancy." Gibbs wanted to know.

The doctor looked at Maggie and Gibbs and could see the worry in their faces. "Yes, Maggie had a difficult pregnancy over 20 years ago. But we know about it now and we will watch her closely. Age isn't a big factor any more. Maggie is in exceptional health. As long as she keeps on doing what she's doing than things will be fine."

"Can I still run?" Maggie asked.

"No." Gibbs said.

Dr. Richman laughed. "Actually there is no need for her to change that up now. You're not training for a marathon are you?"

"No, I run to relieve stress. I started about 10 years ago. I try to run at least 4 times a week." Maggie explained.

"Then for now, I see no need to change that. Let's make an appointment for 4 weeks from now. I'll write a prescription for prenatal vitamins and if you have any questions or you need to call me, my number is on the card."

Maggie and Gibbs stood up; each of them took turns shaking the doctor's hand. "I sense some concern on your part." She said to Gibbs. "But this is my field of expertise and I really don't see any reason to worry."

"Thanks again Dr. Richman." Maggie said as they left the office. She and Gibbs walked down the hallway to the front desk. "I can take care of things here if you need to get back to the office."

Gibbs kissed her on the side of the head. "Thanks. I'll drop this off and pick it up on the way home." He said as he took her prescription and walked out of the doctor's office. He shouldn't have left Maggie inside, he should have waited. He should tell her that he was scared; instead he got into his car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Maggie forced a smile while she made an appointment for four weeks' time; but inside, Maggie was hurting. She wanted this child. She wanted Gibbs' child, but what if he really didn't want a baby. Maggie got into her car and drove around Washington aimlessly. She didn't know who she could talk to. She'd made a few close friends since she moved down here, but those close friends were also Gibbs' close friends, even closer to him. She found herself an hour later sitting at Starbucks, a green iced tea and a stack of pregnancy books and magazines on the table in front of her.

Gibbs got back to the office around 11. He was bombarded with questions about a case by all three of his agents. He ignored them all as he put his shield and gun in his desk drawer.

"If anyone needs me I'll be with Ducky." He told them and walked to the elevator.

"He didn't hear a word we said." Tony commented.

"Does not look that way." Ziva concurred.

"Does anyone know where he went to this morning?" Tony looked at Ziva and McGee. Both shook their heads.

"If it is something he wants us to know about he will tell us." Ziva told Tony.

"Hello Jethro, what brings you here? I don't have a body of yours." Ducky was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork.

"Is Palmer here?" Gibbs looked around autopsy.

"No, he has gone to lunch." Ducky noticed that Gibbs looked uneasy. "Is there something wrong?"

Gibbs sat down on the stool next to Ducky's desk. He scrubbed his hands over his face and told Ducky.

"Maggie's pregnant."

Ducky's eyes widened and he smiled at Gibbs; and then he saw the look on Gibbs' face.

"Oh dear, it is yours isn't it?"

Gibbs gave Ducky a look of 'seriously'.

"I had to ask. You look like you aren't happy about the pregnancy."

Gibbs tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling.

"We thought she couldn't get pregnant. She has thought that for almost 20 years and then she wasn't feeling well and went to the doctors yesterday and they ran tests. She even did four pregnancy tests of her own. We just came from a high risk pregnancy doctor. She said everything should be fine."

"Jethro, things have changed a lot in the past 20 years. They can even do surgery on a fetus in the womb." Ducky looked at his friend. "But tell me, are you happy. Do you want a baby?"

"Duck, I'm terrified." Gibbs got up and started pacing back and forth. "What if something happens to Maggie? I've already lost a wife and child and I don't think I can do that again."

"Do you want Maggie to continue the pregnancy?"

Gibbs sat back down. "She offered to abort the baby."

"What did you say?"

"I told her no." Gibbs was surprised his friend would even ask that question.

"You still haven't answered me. Are you happy about the baby?"

"I'm happy and I'm scared. Duck, I'm in my 50's. I'll be in my 70's by the time the kid graduates college."

Ducky smiled. "Is that what you're really worried about? Your age?"

"Well yeah Ducky. People assume I'm older than I am."

"Jethro sometimes you amaze me." Ducky patted Gibbs on the shoulder and walked over to his sink.

"I haven't told Maggie I'm happy about it yet."

Ducky looked at his friend. "Oh dear Jethro, I think you need to remedy that right away."

"Yeah, you're right Ducky." Gibbs stood to leave. "And can you keep this to yourself for now. We haven't talked about telling people yet."

Ducky pretended to zip his lip to keep the secret. Gibbs smirked and nodded and left autopsy.

Maggie picked up a copy of What To Expect When You're Expecting book at the book store. She also picked up a magazine on pregnancy that had articles on Yoga and working out. She couldn't believe how much things had changed. She'd had friends and co-workers who'd had babies in the past few years, but the things you could buy and do and not do had changed a lot.

Freckles barking at the kitchen door told her Gibbs was home. Maggie put the book and magazine behind the couch cushion. Gibbs walked into the living room and handed Maggie a white rose with a yellow ribbon tied on the stem. Maggie looked at him surprised.

"What is this for?"

Gibbs walked around the couch and sat down next to Maggie. "I've been an ass. You asked me if I was happy about the baby and I didn't answer."

"No you didn't." Maggie took Gibbs hand in hers and looked him in the eye. "Gibbs I need to know if you're happy about this. It isn't about me it's about us. If you're not happy I need to know."

Gibbs let go of Maggie's hand and put it on Maggie's belly. His child was growing in there. The child they made together. Maybe it wasn't planned, but it was an unexpected blessing he couldn't ignore.

"Yeah, I'm happy Maggie, but I'm scared too."

Maggie leaned into her husband and kissed him. "I'm scared too, but the doctor told us everything would be okay."

"When the baby is 20 I'll be in my 70's!"

"And I'll be in my 60's." Maggie kissed him again. "We'll be fine Gibbs. I promise."

Once the reality of Maggie being pregnant set in, she and Gibbs decided to keep it between the two of them until her first trimester had passed. Maggie wanted to make sure everything was okay with the pregnancy first before letting people know. Gibbs felt guilty that he had talked to Ducky about it. They had promised there would be no secrets between them.

"I told Ducky you were pregnant." Gibbs told Maggie as they lay in bed one night listening to the rain fall on the roof.

Maggie lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him. Gibbs reached his hand up and placed it on the side of her face. "I needed to talk to someone and get it all out. I was scared Maggie and …"

Maggie put a finger on his lips. "It's okay. If I'd of needed to talk to someone I'd choose Ducky too." She rested her head back on Gibbs shoulder. "But next time, it's me okay."

*Valentine's Day Week*

"What?" Tony put his hands up. "Why can't I do that?"

"It's wrong Tony. It's Valentine's Day that's why." McGee answered.

"It's a date. I don't have to do the flowers and chocolate for a first date." Tony defended himself.

"Who has a first date on Valentine's Day?" Ziva shook her head.

"I do. That's who. And do YOU have a date Probie?" Tony directed at McGee.

Gibbs sat at his desk, his nose in the paperwork in front of him. Sometimes he really did feel like a High School principal with these three.

"I'm taking Penny out to dinner." McGee smiled.

"Taking your grandmother out to dinner does not count as a Valentine date."

"At least I'm bringing her favorite flowers and chocolate. And what about you Ziva? What are your plans?"

"I am teaching a woman's self-defense class McGee. Thank you for asking."

"So no Valentine for you Ziva?" Tony teased.

"I would rather do something useful Tony." Ziva began but Tony cut her off.

"Teach a bunch of lonely hearts how defend themselves against guys that they can't catch?"

"Sometimes I do not understand you Tony."

"Boss, what about you?" Tony asked.

Gibbs gave Tony a look.

"No really Boss." Tony walked over to Gibbs' desk. "I know you're married to my sister and all and that makes you my brother-in-law."

"I know all that DiNozzo." Gibbs turned his attention back to his work.

"Flowers, candy, all that stuff. I can…"

"Get back to work is what you can do." Gibbs told him.

"That's exactly what I can do Boss."

Gibbs shook his head, he knew it was sometimes hard for Tony and the others to keep the lines from crossing, well more Tony than the others; but they did try. He wondered what would happen when they found out Maggie was pregnant. Maggie was 8 weeks along and morning sickness still was an issue. He'd given up his morning coffee at home because he felt bad for Maggie. Going cold turkey from coffee was hard. She could have one cup of decaf a week and she saved it for Sunday mornings and the paper. He had to find creative ways to dodge the question of why he was suddenly double fisting his morning coffee order at the diner.

In terms of telling people about the pregnancy, they had decided to wait until Saint Patrick's Day. Maggie would be through her first trimester and beginning to show. First would be Jamie and then Tony and their fathers. In the meantime; their kitchen addition had added a second story to it. They had a spare room in the house, but Gibbs knew his father would be out there visiting often and Maggie thought Senior may come and stay too, even though Gibbs told her not to keep her hopes up. They were building a room across from theirs that would be the baby's room. Gibbs smiled thinking about that. A baby.

Gibbs got up from his desk to go use the 'head'. Tony watched him walk away.

"Did you see that? He was smiling. A real smile. Just sitting there smiling." Tony couldn't believe it.

"Maybe he was thinking about his plans for Valentine's Day. I mean they have not been married long. He may have something very romantic planned. Candles, music, ooh, maybe even a nice massage." Ziva teased Tony.

Tony put his hands over his ears. "Stop. I'm still suffering from flashbacks of Christmas."

"Tony." McGee began. "What exactly did happen at Christmas? You keep mentioning it bet never tell us what happened."

"What happened was Tony learned to use earplugs when he stays at my house." Gibbs commented when he came back.

Tony cringed, McGee's mouth hung open and Ziva smiled.

*Valentine's Day*

Maggie came home from work carrying a dark purple hydrangea plant in one arm and her bag and keys in the other. Gibbs was crouched in front of the fireplace getting it ready to make steaks.

"Thank you for the hydrangea." Maggie said as he came into the kitchen.

"I thought you'd like something to plant instead of throw away." Gibbs kissed Maggie.

She stepped up on her toes and kissed him again. "Thank you for remembering my favorite flowers."

"My pleasure." Gibbs didn't feel like letting Maggie get away that quickly so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for another kiss. He started slowly and by the time he ran his tongue across her lower lip, her hands were around his neck, his under the back of her sweater.

"What's in the bag?" Gibbs nodded at the bag on the counter. "That for me?" he gave her a mischievous grin.

"No, your gift is upstairs." Maggie picked up the bag he was talking about. "These are from my students." Maggie pulled out mini heart shaped boxes of chocolate, hand drawn cards, and some gift cards to a local coffee chain.

"These are for you." Maggie gave him two hand drawn valentines. "The kids wanted to make them for you."

Gibbs smiled at the pictures with red and pink hearts and his name written in a child's scrawl.

"Tell them thank you for me." He put the papers on the table and eyed the chocolate. "You going to eat those?"

Maggie looked longingly at them. "I'd love to but chocolate is bad for me and the baby. Too much sugar."

Gibbs opened the little box and pulled out one of the caramel ones; Maggie's favorite.

"You could eat just one." He held the chocolate just in front of her mouth.

"Honey, no one can eat just one Valentine chocolate. Never mind those little conversation hearts. I could eat a whole bag of them."

"Guess this is for me." Gibbs popped the chocolate in his mouth. "Steaks will be going on in a few minutes. Potatoes are in the oven. I got you some sparkling water

"How romantic, sparkling water instead of wine or champagne."

"You don't like champagne and junior here;" Gibbs put his hand on Maggie's belly. "Isn't old enough to drink yet."

Maggie liked how Gibbs' face softened when he'd talk about the baby. He'd even taken to reading her pregnancy book too. Every morning he'd watch her take her 'horse pills' as she'd call her vitamins. He made sure she had some form of calcium during the day and had taken it upon himself to make her lunches for her. There were plenty of crackers and ginger ale in the house to help with the nausea. He didn't like the fact she still ran, but she had switched to running at the gym at NCIS to appease him. That way, he was close by if something happened.

After dinner, they sat on the couch, watching the fire burn in the fireplace.

"What are you thinking about?" Gibbs asked as he nuzzled Maggie's neck.

"That feels nice." Maggie murmured. "I'm thinking about you."

"Really." Gibbs hands moved from her arms down to the hem of her sweater. "About what?"

"About your present."

"Will I like my present?" he moved his hands up under Maggie's sweater and cupped her breasts. They were beginning to get fuller now and he loved the heaviness of them in his palms.

"I hope so, but if you keep that up." Maggie turned her head so she could find Gibbs' mouth and kissed him. "It'll take the fun out of it."

"Then why don't we take this upstairs then?" Gibbs grabbed Maggie by the hips and pushed her up off the couch. She led him by the hand to their bedroom and to the bed. Gibbs tried to grab at her to pull her down with him, but she shook her head.

"Just sit there and wait."

Gibbs smirked and did as he was told. He folded his arms and rested his head on them, watching the bathroom door for Maggie to come out.

"Wow." He exclaimed when Maggie came out of the bathroom dressed in a lavender nighty that clung at the top due to her boobs being fuller; and then it flowed out to fall just at the middle of her thighs. With the bathroom light silhouetting her, Gibbs could tell she had on nothing underneath.

"Like?" she asked as she made her way to the bed.

"Yeah." Gibbs took her in from head to toe and reached out for her.

Maggie pushed his hands away and began pulling at the hem of his shirt to untuck it from his pants. Gibbs let her take his shirt and tee shirt off and she pushed him back down onto the bed.

"On your stomach." She told him.

"Why?" he asked as he repositioned himself on the bed and Maggie straddled his backside.

"Because I want to make you nice and relaxed." Maggie explained as she began giving him a massage. She started at his shoulders; working the knots out slowly. Next she moved her way down the long muscles of his back. Gibbs shifted his backside up against Maggie and she gasped.

"Cut that out. You'll break my concentration."

Gibbs just laid there, head on his arms, smiling.

Maggie repositioned herself down by his knees and ran her fingers over his butt and down the back of his thighs. Gibbs' back arched at the tickling sensation and Maggie did it again.

"You need to turn over and I think these need to go." Maggie knelt up and gave him room to move so she could take off his pants. She was rewarded with a nice view of the bulge them. She bit her lower lip and let her eyes roam slowly up to his.

"Massage done?" he asked his voice husky with desire. He didn't care if she was done or not, he wanted her now.

Maggie moved back up to straddle Gibbs' thighs, just below where he really wanted her to be. She reached up and traced her fingers down his chest from his collar bone to the top of his boxers. His breathing was getting heavier; he didn't want to keep his hands off of her any longer. He touched her thighs with his fingertips and rubbed the delicate material of her slip.

"I want to rip this off you." He said between gritted teeth.

Maggie shook her head no. She moved his hands away and took the hem and slowly pulled it up her body and over her head. Gibbs gasped at the sight above him. He tried to sit up but Maggie pushed him back down. Slowly she hooked her fingers under the elastic in his boxers and slid them down over his erection, down his thighs, slowly all the time looking him in the eye, and tossed them on to the floor.

There were no words spoken as he took her hand and guided her back up his body and let her take him in her hand to guide him into her body. Maggie tossed her head back when she sank completely on to him, burying him in her body. Gibbs grabbed her hips and held her still while he looked at her. Her hair falling down her back, her breasts full and begging for his attention. He let her set the pace as she began to ride, slowly at first and then as he began to move up into her, her rhythm increased. He pulled his body up, one hand bracing behind him and took the rhythm over. Maggie called his name out once and began grinding down against him as the intense sensations took over. Gibbs waited for her to open her eyes and look at him. She kissed him softly and nodded her head. With a quick movement, Maggie was on her back, Gibbs above moving in and out of her until his release had him grunting out her name.

"That wouldn't. Didn't ….couldn't hurt the baby could it?" Gibbs said as he spooned behind Maggie.

"No. You saw the book. We can have sex up to the very end of the pregnancy. The bigger I get the more fun we can have finding new positions."

"Mmm. Look forward to that."


	11. Chapter 11

*The Reveal*

Maggie was now three months pregnant and beginning to show. Nothing in her closet seemed to fit right any more.

"Just go buy something that fits." Gibbs was getting exasperated with Maggie as he finished dressing for work. "Wear one of my shirts."

"Oh, yeah, like that won't scream 'Hi, I'm pregnant, I have to wear my husband's clothes.' "Maggie finally found a pair of khakis that gave her some wiggle room and a button down shirt she could wear untucked.

"So, maybe it's time we let everyone in on the secret." Gibbs walked over to Maggie and hugged her from behind. "It's only a matter of time now that I've put you on my insurance. Someone is going to notice the bills from Dr. Richman's office and put two and two together."

"Okay, how do you want to do this? Do you want to call your dad tonight? I can invite Jamie over. Tony too. "

"You sound worried about telling Jamie." Gibbs commented.

"I am. I don't know how he'll feel having a brother or sister so much younger than him." Maggie finished dressing and turned to her husband. "Speaking of that, do you have a preference?"

"On who to tell first?" Gibbs teased.

Maggie threw a pillow from the bed at him. "Smart ass."

Gibbs stopped Maggie from making the bed and made her sit beside him. "Only that he or she is healthy. That you and the baby will be fine."

"So when time comes, and I have the ultrasound, do you want them to tell us?"

"Nope. I want to be surprised." He gave her a quick kiss. "Okay."

"Okay."

"Yeah Dad, I know." Gibbs sat in his car at the NCIS lot. "It was really a surprise too."

"Son; I'm so happy for you both. Is there anything you need? I can come up and help out. Do things around the house so Maggie can rest."

Gibbs laughed at how excited his father sounded.

"I think maybe when it's closer to the due date. I'll need someone here to keep an eye on her so that she does take it easy."

"Doc says she'll be fine right." Jackson wanted to know.

"She can still run when she wants too. She's in great health and the baby is doing well too."

"You tell her people yet?"

Gibbs knew his father meant Tony and Senior.

"We're telling Jamie and Tony next and then she'll try to track her father down."

There was silence on the line.

"Dad, you okay?" Gibbs asked.

"Leroy, I adored Kelly, you know that don't you?"

"Yeah Dad, I do."

"I don't want to lessen her place in my heart. I'll still love her as much as I do this new young'un."

"I know dad. I will too."

Maggie called Jamie and Tony and invited them to dinner on St. Patrick's Day. Next to Thanksgiving Dinner, St. Patrick's Day dinner was her favorite to cook. The only problem this year, the strong smell of boiling corned beef and cabbage was making her nauseous.

"Smells good." Gibbs commented as he came into the kitchen with fresh Irish bread from the bakery.

"If you say so." Maggie replied as she put the lid back on the large pot that held potatoes, carrots, cabbage and corned beef. "Personally, it's killing me."

"Open the window." Gibbs said and realized she already had. "It won't be much longer." He kissed her on the cheek.

"I don't know Gibbs. I don't remember being this sensitive to smells before. Everything is just stronger."

"Thank God I don't wear cologne. But I did notice you stopped wearing your perfume."

"I love my perfume, but even the tiniest just makes me gag. It should pass soon. I kind of miss lighting my Yankee candles."

It took him a little while to adjust to that, to having scented candles in the house, when he moved in with Maggie. Fortunately, Maggie's taste in candles didn't go the flowery route. She liked the nature scents and he grew to like them too.

"Hello Hello! Happy St. Patrick's Day!" Tony called out from the front door. Tony came into the kitchen carrying a bouquet of green tipped carnations and a 6-pack of Guinness Beer.

"For you Mags." Tony handed the flowers to Maggie and kissed her on the cheek.

"And for you Boss." He handed the beers to Gibbs. "Smells good. I may not be Irish, but I love when my sister makes boiled dinner." Tony looked at Maggie who was putting the flowers in a vase. Maggie had on leggings and a sweater on. "Mags, married life must agree with you. Look like you've put on a few pounds."

Tony turned away from Maggie and Gibbs grabbed her wrist before she hit her brother with the spoon in her hand.

"So, when's Jamie getting here? He called me this morning and told me he was coming."

"Hey Mom…Gibbs." Jamie called from the front door answering Tony's question.

"In here Jamie." Gibbs answered. He put his hands on Maggie's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze.

Jamie walked into the kitchen carrying a pot of shamrocks and more beer.

"When do we eat?" Jamie asked impatiently.

"No hug for your Mom?" Maggie walked over and hugged Jamie.

"You put on weight Mom?" Jamie looked down at her.

"See…." Tony pointed at Maggie. "That's what I said."

Gibbs pushed the plates at Tony and gave him the look that screamed knock it off.

"Sorry Mom, I made plans for later." Jamie admitted.

"Female plans?" Tony asked his nephew. Jamie didn't answer, he just blushed.

"Okay then, you can slice the Irish bread Jamie, put out the butter and vinegar." Maggie instructed them.

Tony put out the plates while Gibbs drained the pot with the dinner in it. He took the meat out and set it on a platter to cut while Maggie brought the bowl of potatoes, carrots and cabbage to the table. The smell was really getting to her and she tried hard to hide it.

"You okay Mags? You don't look too good." Tony's face showed concern for his sister.

"I'm good Tony." Maggie told him. "Can you grab the pepper from the counter?"

The meal was served and everyone sat down. Tony opened the Guinness' and handed them out.

"I'm good Tony." Maggie turned her beer down.

"You must be sick Mags, you never turn beer down. You barely have any food on your plate. You coming down with something?"

"Tony, leave Mom alone. I'll eat what she doesn't want." Jamie smiled.

Maggie picked at her food. She wasn't sure how they were going to tell Jamie and Tony their news. She was lost in her own thoughts when Jamie tried to get her attention.

"Mom."

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I was telling you about work."

"I'm sorry Jamie, I was distracted."

"More like out to lunch Mags." Tony said between bites. "

Maggie tried to eat, but she could only manage a few bites of carrot and some Irish bread. She wasn't completely paying attention to the conversations at the table. She was trying to figure out how they would break the news.

"Looks like your addition is coming along nicely." Tony commented making Maggie's head snap up.

"What?"

"The addition. To the kitchen." Tony pointed over to where the room had been framed on the outside. "Looks like you're adding to the second floor too."

"Across from our bedroom. You can stay there next time Tony." Gibbs kidded Tony.

"I'll stick to the couch. Thank you."

"When are they breaking through to here?" Jamie asked.

"Soon. Next week I think." Maggie answered.

"You doing any of the work Gibbs?" Jamie inquired.

"When it's ready. I'll do the interior stuff."

"Mom, you going to paint? You love painting."

"Anyone want another?" Gibbs asked as he got up to get another beer.

Tony took the offer and Gibbs brought Maggie more sparkling water. Tony was intrigued now. His investigator mode swung into action. Maggie wasn't drinking any beer at all and he knew she loved Guinness. She also loved boiled dinner and she barely touched anything but a small part of the meat and some carrots. He looked over at her stove. Maggie always had a candle burning. Maggie loved Yankee Candles. He always gave Maggie a gift card to Yankee Candle for her birthday. She always had a candle burning. Maggie looked tired too. It even looked like she'd put on some weight and that wasn't Maggie. She was super careful about her health and loved the feeling she got from working out. Even her boobs looked different. Not that he'd spent much time thinking about his sisters boobs, but he knew they looked … different. Tony thought about it all for a few minutes and slowly it dawned on him. The last time Maggie didn't drink Guinness and looked tired and couldn't stand candles was when she was pregnant with Jamie.

Gibbs sat at the table drinking his beer. He could see the wheels working in Tony's head. The minute he put things together he looked from Gibbs to Maggie and back to Gibbs again.

"Tony, can you help me grab some more wood outside. It looks like rain later." Gibbs nodded his head to the door and walked towards it.

"Yeah, sure Boss." Tony put his napkin down, stopped next to Maggie and started to say something in her ear.

"Today Tony." Gibbs ordered.

Maggie knew why Gibbs had pulled Tony outside and now she had to find a way to tell her son.

"Gibbs." Tony reached the garage behind Gibbs. "Is Maggie pregnant?"

Gibbs squared his shoulders and looked Tony straight in the eye. He was expecting Tony to have a negative reaction. "Yeah, she is." He answered and waited.

Tony smiled broadly. "Really? After all these years! That's awesome Boss. Congratulations." Tony surprised Gibbs by hugging him.

Gibbs stepped back and looked at Tony. This was not the reaction he expected. Tony saw that.

"Really Gibbs, I'm thrilled. You're amazing with kids. Maggie's amazing with kids, she's a great mom. When is she due?"

"Around September."

"Have you told Senior yet? He'll be thrilled."

"Maggie wanted to wait til we told you and then she'd try to get in touch with him." Gibbs explained.

Tony's eyes widened and he yelled aha. "That's what the room is for on the second floor. For the baby."

"Yup." Gibbs nodded.

"You know Gibbs, I'd make an amazing Godfather." Tony said in his best Godfather impression.

"We haven't gotten that far yet Tony."

"You telling Jamie tonight?"

"That was the plan." Gibbs admitted.

"Let's go and tell him."

Gibbs and Tony walked to the back door and heard the yelling. Gibbs took the steps two at a time and burst into the kitchen as Maggie sat with tears in her eyes as Jamie was yelling.

"How could you! Could you be any more selfish? You could die. How many times did you tell me that you almost died with me? Is having a child with Gibbs more important than being here for me?"

Gibbs and Tony were struck silent at Jamie's outburst. Jamie grabbed his jacket and shoved Tony out of the way to get to the door and slammed it behind him. Gibbs started after his stepson, but Jamie wouldn't stop. He got into the car and screeched off. When he got back into the kitchen, Tony was holding Maggie as she cried.

"I never thought he'd be upset Tony." Maggie sniffled.

"He'll come around Mags." Tony said as he looked at Gibbs. At least he hoped his nephew would come around.

Gibbs tried unsuccessfully to reach Jamie several times during the night. Maggie had gone to bed obviously upset. Gibbs understood Jamie's anger. He was angry too at the thought of possibly loosing Maggie. But Jamie shouldn't have taken it out on his mother. Gibbs didn't want Maggie to be upset; it wasn't good for her or the baby. He thought about driving over and having a man to man with his step-son, but stayed with Maggie. He needed time to calm down too.

"You certainly are chipper this morning." Ziva commented seeing Tony's smile as he came off the elevator.

"That I am. That I am."

"Would you like to share this happiness with us?" she asked.

"Not til the Boss gets here." Tony put his coat over the divider and sat down at his desk.

"The Boss is already here." Gibbs commented coming around the corner.

"Can I tell them Boss? Or do you want the honors?" Tony followed Gibbs to his desk.

"Call Abby up first. Don't think she'd want to hear this second hand."

Tony picked up Gibbs' phone and told Abby to come up. "Ducky?" Tony held the phone to his ear.

"Already knows."

"Really? Huh. Man can keep a secret." Tony mused.

"That's why he knew already." Gibbs shuffled some papers on his desk. He was curious as to the reaction the others were going to have. They all waited patiently until Abby came up from her lab.

"What is this secret?" Ziva and McGee joined Tony in front of Gibbs' desk.

"Someone keeping secrets?" Abby asked.

"Apparently Tony is." McGee commented.

"Oh no dear Elf Lord, it is not I who is keeping the secret." Tony grinned. "Drumroll please."

"DiNozzo." Gibbs warned.

"Okay Boss, here goes." Tony turned to Abby, Ziva and McGee. "Maggie and Gibbs are expecting."

Three jaws dropped open and three sets of eyes were wide as they looked at Gibbs. He looked up to see their faces.

"What? Didn't think I had it in me?" he smirked.

The silence broken, Abby jumped up and down and ran over behind Gibbs and wrapped her arms around him. "You're going to be an awesome Daddy."

McGee congratulated Gibbs. "That's great Boss. When's the baby due?"

"September."

"How is Maggie feeling?" Ziva asked.

"Better than the first few weeks." Gibbs admitted.

"I take it the good news has been revealed." Ducky joined them in the bull pen.

"You knew?" Abby looked at Ducky. "You never said anything!"

Ducky bowed his head. "A gentleman keeps his promises."

Gibbs let Ziva hug him and McGee shook his hand.

"Hey, what about the Uncle to be. Don't I get any congratulations?" Tony stood with his arms apart.

"Change a few diapers and then we'll talk." Gibbs sat back down. "Now back to work."

Abby and Ducky went back downstairs, McGee and Ziva to their respective desks.

"Boss, did you ever get in touch with Jamie?" Tony leaned forward and whispered quietly.

"Nope."

"Do you want me to go and talk to him? It's quiet around here. Maybe it'll be easier for him to talk to me." Tony offered.

Gibbs thought about it for a moment. Jamie had been close to Tony for a long time; maybe he'd open up to his uncle.

"Go. Be back in an hour."

"Got it Boss."

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." Tony presented his badge and ID to the corpsman at the door. "I'm looking for Lance Corporal Jamie Sullivan."

"Over in mechanics." The corpsman told him.

Tony walked over to the garage area where jeeps were left when they needed maintenance. Jamie's specialty was explosives, but sometimes, when he was frustrated or needed to think, Jamie liked to work on cars. A trait he inherited from his father. Judging from the way Jamie left the night before, Jamie must be very stressed out. Tony walked over to where his nephew was bending over the engine of a jeep.

"Looking for bombs?" Tony said as he came up behind Jamie.

"Jesus Uncle Tony, you scared the hell out of me."

"Don't let Gibbs hear that I snuck up on a Marine. He'll never let you live it down."

Jamie made a dismissive noise and picked up a rag to wipe his hands.

"That why you're here Uncle Tony? Gibbs send you?"

Tony looked at his nephew. He wondered when the skinny kid with freckles had disappeared and become a muscled Marine. If Tony was going to get through to him, he had to treat him like a man, not a kid.

"You were pretty lousy to your Mom last night."

Jamie shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the floor.

"So you don't care that your mother cried herself to sleep last night?"

"She's got Gibbs. She'll be fine." Jamie pouted.

"Listen Marine. Stop acting like the 5 year old brat you used to be when you couldn't get the Transformer you wanted." Tony got in Jamie's face. "Your mother is pregnant and you are acting like a spoiled brat. She needs you to be happy for her and Gibbs."

"And what if I'm not!" Jamie stood nose to nose with Tony. "She told me she almost died when she had me. What if this time she does? Then where does that leave me?"

"With a little brother or sister who will need you and a stepfather who would need you too."

"And what if I don't need them?"

"Then you'll be all alone and regret that you were ever this much of a brat to your mother."

Tony held his stance and watched a range of emotions wash over Jamie until Jamie slouched back to lean against the jeep.

"I don't want my mother to take the chance. She's too old anyways."

Tony laughed and leaned next to Jamie against the jeep.

"I dare you to say that to her face."

Jamie snuck a look at Tony. "She'd have my hide."

"No kidding."

They were quiet for a moment.

"Look Jamie. Yes, when your mother had you, she had a tough pregnancy. In the end, you were fine, maybe a little puny, and kind of wrinkly looking."

"Gee thanks Uncle Tony." Jamie elbowed him.

"But she was fine. And that was over 25 years ago. Your mom is in great health, the doctors even said so. Things have come a long way since then. But it would really help if you'd go see her and apologize for what you said."

"I'll call her later."

"No." Tony cut his nephew off. "You will go see your mother in person. Man up. Be a Marine."

Jamie nodded his head. "You're right."

"I know I'm right. Now tell me more about this hot girlfriend of yours. You seal the deal yet?"

It was a warm March night and Gibbs convinced Maggie they should go out to eat. They went to Amici's in Georgetown. Maggie loved their cayenne steak and had her first official craving for it.

"You'll regret the heartburn you'll have later." Gibbs said as he held the car door open for her.

"Maybe, but the baby wants it." She smiled at him and took his hand as they walked through the parking lot.

"That going to be the party line now? The baby wants it? "Gibbs teased.

"So it won't work when I say the baby wants to fool around?"

Gibbs made a face at her. "That doesn't sound right."

"You're right." Maggie agreed. "It doesn't."

"But if you say you want to, then I'm all in." Gibbs held the door open for her. There was a method to Gibbs madness. After Tony got back and filled him in on what happened with Jamie, Jamie called. He wanted to know if Gibbs and Maggie would join him for dinner. Gibbs agreed.

"Your party is already at the table." The waitress smiled at Gibbs and Maggie.

"Party?" Maggie asked.

"That would be me Mom."

Jamie stood up and kissed his Mom on the cheek.

"That's if you wouldn't mind me eating crow for dinner."

Maggie reached up and pulled her son into a hug. "As long as it's cooked well." Maggie whispered in his ear.

The three of them sat down at a small table and ordered drinks and appetizers.

"Do you want to tell me what's got you so upset about the baby?"

Jamie sipped his beer and looked into the foam on the glass sliding down the inside.

"I was afraid something would happen to you." He confessed. "And I was mad at Gibbs for getting you pregnant."

Maggie reached out and covered her sons hand with hers.

"Jamie, don't you think Gibbs and I researched all the possibilities? My doctor is a specialist. She says everything will be fine. And I'm 45, not over the hill you know."

Jamie nodded.

"This may not have been planned but it is a blessing. I'm doing everything that they tell me to and will take every precaution they say."

"Like no more running?" Jamie asked.

"See. Even he agrees." Gibbs smirked.

"Seriously. The two of you." Maggie laughed. "I'm not going to wrap myself up in a cocoon and come out with the baby in September."

"Will you stop working?" Jamie asked. "I mean the baby is due in September and that is when school starts and all."

"I haven't really thought about it yet. I just want to get through to the last day of school and then see what happens."

The waiter came and took Maggie's order and Gibbs and Jamie split a pizza.

"Mom, you'll regret that later." Jamie commented when he heard her order.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "The two of you. Honestly. And don't tell Abby what I ordered.

Gibbs looked at her quizzically.

"Abby sent me a three page email earlier, must have been after you told them. She congratulated me and then went on and on about advancements in obstetrics and gave me a list of food that is good for pregnant women. And a list of products to avoid."

"Do you want to know what you're having?" Jamie wanted to know.

"No. I want it to be a surprise. We want it to be a surprise." Maggie corrected herself.

"Can I know? I mean the doctor can tell me and I'll keep it a secret."

"No. You don't keep secrets well. You never have." Maggie laughed.

Over dinner they talked about Jamie's job, he told them a little about the girl he was seeing and about the plans for the addition to the house.

Maggie excused herself from the table to use the ladies room. When she was washing her hands, a woman appeared next to her at the sink. Maggie made eye contact with the woman in the mirror. The woman was staring at her.

Maggie nodded her head. "Hello."

The woman just looked at her. Well, nice chatting with you; Maggie said to herself and turned to leave.

"You must be wife number 5." The woman said.

"Excuse me?" Maggie said stunned as she turned to face the woman.

"Tobias told me Leroy had married again. He forgot to tell me Leroy was going to be a father too."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Maggie was getting angry at this woman.

"I'm wife number 2."

Maggie looked at the tall red headed woman. This was who Gibbs married after Shannon. The one who married Tobias too.

"You're Diane." Maggie watched as Diane continued to stare at Maggie's belly. It began to creep her out and she turned on her heel and left the bathroom.

Gibbs and Jamie were laughing about some of the things Jamie had to do on base. Gibbs was taking a sip of his beer when he saw Maggie coming out of the bathroom and saw the look on her face.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it the baby?" Gibbs stood up as Maggie got to the table and put his hand on Maggie's belly.

"No. I just ran into Diane in the ladies room." Maggie made a dismissive gesture. "I think I want to go home."

"Diane? My ex-wife?" Gibbs looked over Maggie's shoulder to see Diane walking towards them.

"Hello Leroy. I guess congratulations are in order."

"Diane." Gibbs said flatly. "I see you've met my wife Maggie. This is my stepson Jamie."

"And you have a stepson too. Isn't that nice. A readymade family."

Gibbs didn't say anything.

"You should get used to that Maggie. The silent he doesn't say anything Gibbs. He'll show up sooner or later and you'll end up in the I can't replace Shannon ex-wives club."

"Diane that's enough." Gibbs told Jamie to walk Maggie to the car. Jamie stared at Diane and wondered what Gibbs saw in a woman who could be so mean. He took his mother by the arm and led her to the front door. Gibbs stood staring at Diane.

"No hug hello for your first ex-wife?" Diane asked.

Gibbs didn't answer. He motioned the waitress over and asked her to box up the pizza and walked to the cashier to pay the bill.

"Does Tobias know you're going to be a father again?" Diane followed him to the front of the restaurant.

"Yes." Gibbs said as he thanked the cashier and left the tip.

"And no one wanted to tell me."

Gibbs turned to face Diane. "Why would I make sure you knew? There is no reason for me to tell you."

"I just thought…"

The cashier gave Gibbs back his credit card, Diane noticed that Shannon's picture wasn't in its usual spot. She put her hand out to stop him from closing the wallet. Where Shannon's picture used to be there was one of him and Maggie from their wedding day.

"Guess she won't be joining the ex-wives club." Diane moved her hand away.

"No. No she won't." Gibbs turned his back and left Diane standing behind him. He never loved her, but he told her that he did like her. For a time he continued to like her, even when she tried to compare her current husband to him. Maybe she would now, once and for all just let him go.

Maggie was leaning against Gibb's ruck talking to Jamie while they waited for him.

"Please tell me the left overs are for me." Jamie eyeballed the pizza box.

"No. They're for me. You can take a slice to go."

"Gee thanks." Jamie opened the box to see two slices already wrapped in foil. He gave his mother a hug and kiss and held the door for her to climb into the truck.

"Thanks Gibbs." Jamie hugged his stepfather.

"Any time."

Gibbs got into the truck and started the engine.

"So, I shouldn't expect a baby gift from Diane should I?" Maggie asked.

Gibbs smiled. "Nope."


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't do it Gibbs. I can't."

"Yes you can Maggie. Just take a deep breath." Gibbs put his hands on Maggie's shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

"I know I said I'd try, but I can't do it. It's just too damn big."

Gibbs smirked.

"It's not that big Maggie, just try. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and try. Come on I know you can."

Maggie squared her shoulders, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled slowly and opened her eyes.

"Nope, still can't do it."

Gibbs dropped his chin down on to Maggie's head. She was trying, he knew how hard this was for her. It was hard for him too. It was the last thing he wanted to be doing on a Saturday afternoon, but here they were, standing in the middle of a car lot, looking at a mini-van.

"Gibbs, come on. It's a mini-van." Maggie turned to face her husband. "I said I'd give the jeep up , but I can't do the mini-van thing."

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow and looked down at Maggie. She was now five months pregnant and the reality of their cars began to set in. Maggie told Gibbs flat out she wouldn't let him get rid of the Dodge Challenger, that was his dream car, and they needed the truck because – well as Maggie saw it – they'd had a lot of fun in that truck. Her Jeep wasn't a good family car, so she'd offered to trade it in.

"I'll go for an SUV, the Volvo over there is nice." Maggie pleaded. "But I hated having a minivan before and I really don't want one now."

Gibbs kissed Maggie's pinched forehead.

"Good, that's the one I already bought."

Maggie socked Gibbs in the stomach for stringing her along like that.

"It's not nice to tease a pregnant lady like that."

"I know, but I couldn't help it. Tony and Jamie both told me how much you hated mini-vans. I wanted to see what you'd do." Gibbs put his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the black Volvo XC70 with grey interior.

"Keys are in it, paperwork was taken care of Friday."

"How'd you manage that? I had my car on Friday at school."

"Your brother has an amazing amount of connections." Gibbs opened the passenger door and let Maggie in.

"He has gone through a lot of cars hasn't he?" Maggie commented and noticed which door Gibbs was holding open.

"You're driving?" she" asked him. Gibbs just dangled the keys and smiled at her.

"Happy Mother's Day" Jamie greeted his Mom who was sitting on the back patio enjoying the nice weather. "Where's Gibbs?"

"Not really sure." Maggie confessed. "I got kind of hormonal with him this morning. I feel bad, but I can't help it. I feel like I swallowed a beach ball."

"Mom, you look great, from the back you can't tell you're pregnant. Until you walk." Jamie sat down across from her at the table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maggie's voice got angry. "Are you saying I walk funny?"

Gibbs heard Maggie from inside the kitchen and cringed. He'd been very careful about mentioning the way she looked. If he complimented her; she'd find a way to turn it around. Now Jamie had stepped on that landmine.

"Careful son, don't go where you're going." Gibbs came out the kitchen door carrying two coffees and a bag from the diner with him.

"What?" Jamie was confused. "I was going to say that she's waddling."

Maggie's eyes grew wide. Gibbs dropped his chin to his chest and shook his head.

"Shouldn't have said that." Gibbs said under his breath.

"I'm waddling?" Maggie stared daggers at the two men she loved the most on the face of the Earth. "Are you saying that I waddle now?"

When Jamie stood there with his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out; Maggie looked at Gibbs.

"Don't look at me, he said it." Gibbs put his hands up in front of him and shook his head.

Maggie got up from the table and went into the house. Gibbs slapped Jamie in the back of the head.

"Why? Why would you tell your Mom she waddles?" Gibbs asked his stepson.

"But…but…" Jamie sputtered. "She does. You just saw it didn't you?"

"Yeah, I've seen it but I'm not stupid enough to tell her she waddles." Gibbs sat down at one of the seats at the table. "God help you when you have a pregnant wife someday."

Jamie sat at the table waiting for his mother to come back out. In front of him was the gift he'd made for her. He wanted her to open it in front of Gibbs.

"Think I should go in and see if she's okay?" Jamie asked Gibbs.

Gibbs looked over his reading glasses as he sipped his coffee. He put down the section of the newspaper he was reading.

"Don't expect me to go in and check. You made this mess, you go fix it." He picked up the sports section again and went back to reading it.

Jamie pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. He only had an hour to spend with his mother today. He had to be back to base to start his shift. He nodded his head and walked up the back stairs.

"Good Luck." Gibbs told him and lifted his coffee again. "You're gonna need it."

Jamie walked in the back door and saw his mother bent over, hands resting on the edge of the sink. Something didn't look right and he yelled for Gibbs. Gibbs got up so quickly the chair he was sitting on went flying backwards. He took the stairs two at a time and was beside Maggie in less than 10 seconds.

"What is it? Is it the baby?" Gibbs had one hand on Maggie's back as he squatted down next to her. "Tell me."

Maggie took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She knew what was wrong, she just needed a second. Slowly she straightened up and Gibbs stood with her. When she opened her eyes, she saw the look of fear in Gibbs' and Jamie's faces.

"I'm fine. Braxton Hicks contractions, that's all." Maggie assured them.

"That's all. Are you sure?" Gibbs didn't look like he believed her.

Maggie put her hand on Gibbs' arm. "I'm sure. I had them the other day at the Doctor's office. It's completely common."

"What's a Braxton Hicks contraction?" Jamie was still rooted to the spot where he saw his mother.

"It's like a contraction; it can feel like one too." Maggie began.

"It's the body's way of getting itself ready for labor." Gibbs finished.

"You've been reading the book?" Maggie was surprised.

"Abby bought me my own copy." Gibbs told her. "She's been quizzing me on it to make sure I'm reading it."

They went back outside and sat down at the patio table. Jamie apologized for the waddling comment.

"Jamie, you only stated the obvious. I am waddling. They told me at school that they've noticed it too."

"So you're not mad?"

"No. I'm mad at myself. I bit Gibbs' head off when he asked me this morning if I wanted a muffin with my coffee. He was just trying to be nice and I threw a book at him."

"Glad it was a book and not something harder." Gibbs told her.

"I'm sorry honey. You know….." Maggie was getting emotional. "It's the damned hormones. I'm waddling, I can't fit into any of my shorts or tee shirts. I've been wearing your tee shirts and some of those are getting too tight.

"Mom, you look beautiful." Jamie told his mother. "And its Mother's Day and I want you to have this."

Jamie pushed the gift bag over to her. "Open it. Please."

Maggie pulled the tissue out of the bag and removed what was wrapped inside. Under the layers of tissue was a tri-fold picture frame. The frame on the right was Jamie's baby picture. The one on the right was Kelly's baby picture. And the middle one was empty.

"I hope you don't mind Gibbs." Jamie began. "I knew about the box of pictures in the garage loft and I found one of Kelly as a baby. I had it copied and I put it back. I didn't want you to get mad."

Gibbs ran his finger over Kelly's image as a baby. "I'm not mad Jamie. This was really nice of you." Gibbs leaned over and kissed Jamie on the head. It was a very fatherly gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Maggie.

"I left the middle one empty so that you can put the baby's picture in it."

"I love it Jamie. Thank you so much." Maggie kissed Jamie on the cheek.

Later that night Gibbs and Maggie sat in the Adirondack chairs he had brought from his house listening to the sounds of the night. Maggie sat in her chair, her eyes closed as she listened to the grasshoppers in the bushes by the garage. Suddenly she started laughing.

"What?" Gibbs asked from his chair next to her.

"You child is waking up."

Gibbs looked confused.

"When I'm up and moving around, Jr. here likes to sleep. As soon as I sit down, Jr. likes to box." Maggie explained. "Here look."

Maggie lifted up her shirt and pointed to Gibbs where he should watch. Suddenly, a little bump appeared on the side of Maggie's stomach.

"That's the hand." She explained. "Watch."

The baby's hand moved under Maggie's skin from one side to  
the other and then stopped.

"What does that feel like?" Gibbs looked at her, eyes wide.

Maggie smiled. All the things her husband has seen as a Marine and an NCIS agent, this makes him wide-eyed.

"Tickles. Oops, wait; here we go again." Maggie told him.

Gibbs put his hand over the path where the baby's hand had gone last time. He felt the hand against his. "That's amazing." Gibbs put both hands on her bare belly and waited to see if it would happen again.

Maggie felt the baby shift; like it was rolling from one side to the other. Gibbs felt it too.

"He's really active." Gibbs commented. "Does it hurt?"

"It's just kind of uncomfortable." Maggie moved a little to adjust the way the baby had settled. "You said 'he'. Do you think that's what we're having?"

"Nope." Gibbs was still focusing on her belly. "Just came out that way."

Maggie sat with Gibbs kneeling between her legs, his hands on her belly watching to see if it was going to move again. In the low light of the back yard Maggie looked at her husband. His hair was mussed up; he had a 5:00 shadow from not shaving all weekend. He had on his cargo shorts, a tee shirt from some bar in Mexico and his Chuck Taylor black high-top sneakers. Yes, this was scruffy Gibbs and Maggie thought he was sexy as hell at that moment.

"Remember this morning how I threw the book at you?" Maggie put her fingers on top of his hands on her belly and traced little circles on them.

"Mm hmm." Gibbs looked up at Maggie and saw the look in her eyes. Since the morning sickness had stopped, Maggie had become more emotional. Sometimes she may be angry and cry; but those times were far less than the times she was like this. Her sex drive went into overdrive. And like she had said early in the pregnancy, they had found many different ways to make love and in many different places in the house. If Tony knew some of them, he'd never set foot in the house again.

"I'd really like to show you how sorry I am."

Gibbs leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "You don't need to apologize." He kissed her again.

"Then how about we just go upstairs and fool around. Your scruffy look is making me horny."

"You ready?" Abby asked Ziva as she walked up to her desk.

"I am ready." Ziva picked up her purse and stood up.

"Where you ladies off to?" Tony wanted to know.

"Girls lunch." Abby told him as she and Ziva walked to the elevator.

"No men allowed?" Tony called after them but they did not answer him. "You wanna bring us back something?"

"I'll take you to lunch Tony." McGee said from his desk.

"Order in." Gibbs replied as he came back to his desk.

"Ziva and Abby got to go out to lunch Boss." McGee pouted.

"Like some cheese with that whine McGee?" Gibbs responded. "They're taking Maggie out to lunch. Today was her last day of school. They wanted to do something nice for her."

"Oh. Well then." McGee nodded his head. "I'll order the usual from Georges then."

Gibbs nodded and went back to work.

"Are they having one of those baby showers for her Boss?" Tony wondered.

"Doesn't want one." Gibbs replied not looking up.

"Why? Lots of presents? Who doesn't love presents?" Tony was shocked.

"Your sister – that's who. Now can we focus? How long til lunch gets here McGee?"

"You must be happy to be finished for the summer." Ziva commented to Maggie when their lunches were brought to the table.

"Well it looks like I'm done for the long haul." Maggie replied.

"What?" Abby was shocked. "Did they fire you?"

"Yes and no."

"I do not understand." Ziva asked Maggie. "Are you not under contract?"

Maggie took a sip of her ice water. "I had a year to year contract."

"Okay." Ziva nodded.

"And the program I work with, the children go to school for a good part of the summer. They need continuity."

"I can understand that. They need to keep their schedules as routine as possible." Ziva agreed.

"And I can't work this summer obviously." Maggie gestured down to her belly. "Some of my students have violent outbursts and I won't take the chance of getting hurt."

"They can't fire you for that." Abby was upset. "I know a lawyer who can help you."

"It's more than that Abby." Maggie had been putting up a good wall of hiding her emotions, but that wall was starting to crack. "I'm due in September, so I wouldn't be starting the school year with the kids and then I'd be out until sometime in November depending when the baby gets here." Maggie took a deep breath. "And due to being away from the middle of June to the middle of November, they thought it wouldn't be a good idea for the kids. And that is how they left it."

"Gibbs did not say anything." Ziva commented.

"I didn't tell him yet. I wasn't going to say anything to you two, but it's kind of been building up."

Ziva and Abby exchanged glances. When the moment presented itself during lunch, Abby excused herself from the table and went to the ladies room. She flipped open her phone and speed dialed Gibbs.

"Everything okay Abs?" Was how Gibbs answered the call.

Abby filled him quickly on what had happened. Gibbs thanked Abby and told her not to let Maggie know she told him.

Abby came back to the table and gave Ziva a subtle nod to let her know she'd called Gibbs.

"And now to why we really asked you to lunch." Abby smiled as she pulled out a bag from her purse. "We got you something."

"Guys…really…you didn't have to."

"It's more for you really than the baby." Ziva explained as Maggie took the scrap book out of the bag. "You can write to the baby about his family and things that happen during the first years of his life."

"Saying the word 'he' a lot there Ziva." Maggie teased.

"I believe it is a boy." Ziva commented.

"I think it's a girl and I can't wait to rock her out with pigtails and barrettes."

"What if it's a boy?" Maggie asked.

"Boys can wear pigtails too."

Maggie laughed. "Can you see Gibbs' face with that?"

The three of them laughed and agreed if the baby was a boy, no doubt he'd be buzz cut the get go.

"Thank you two so much for this. It means a lot to me." Maggie leaned over to hug them both. "Wow, baby is waking up."

Abby and Ziva were feeling where the baby was kicking when Ziva's phone went off.

"No, Gibbs promised no interruptions." Maggie pouted.

"Meet you out front." Ziva hung up her phone. "I am sorry Abby, but it is the job." Ziva picked up her things and kissed Maggie on the cheek. "Tomorrow night?"

"I'll be ready. Just call if you can't make it."

"Still going to yoga?" Abby asked.

"And swimming too. I had to stop running a few weeks ago, and the swimming makes me feel light again."

"Maggie, you barely look like you've put on weight. And you carry in the front. When my brother Luca's wife was pregnant, she carried EVERYWHERE!" Abby used her hands to exaggerate.

"I'm kind of glad I have you alone Abby. I had a question to ask you."

"Ask away." Abby smiled.

"Gibbs and I were talking about the baby and religion and so forth. Well I'm Catholic and he's Protestant. I haven't been very good about my Catholic faith, and Gibbs; well – he's Gibbs. Anyways, we are going to have the baby baptized and Gibbs knows how you are the most – religiously well rounded person and we want you to be the baby's Godmother."

Abby jumped up and threw her arms around Maggie. "I would be so amazingly honored."

"Good. That makes me happy."

"Who's the Godfather? Jamie?"

"No. It's going to be Tony. He's been doing his Godfather impression to my stomach whenever he's been around me. I think he's auditioning. But don't tell him yet. You'll have to live with the Marlon Brando bit all summer."

"And that would definitely be bad." Abby agreed.

Gibbs finally got home close to nine later that night. He'd called Maggie and told her not to wait for him to eat dinner. When he came into the house, Maggie was in the living room folding laundry, the television was on mute, a Red Sox/Yankee game was on.

"Muted because the Yankees are winning?" Gibbs sat down heavily on the couch next to Maggie, closed his eyes and laid his head on the back of the couch.

"So, who told you?"

Gibbs cracked an eye open and looked at Maggie who kept on folding clothes.

"How'd you know?" Gibbs reached a hand out and rubbed Maggie's lower back.

"Because they love you and would never keep anything from you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gibbs pressed his fingers into her back where he knew it was starting to bother her from time to time.

"I started to call you, but they came into the restaurant and it all hit me at once. I figured I'd be calmer by the time you got home. But I'm guessing Abby called you when she went to the ladies room."

"Yup." Gibbs leaned forward and rested his chin on Maggie's shoulder and noticed what she was folding. "Are those for the baby?"

Maggie nodded. "Some gifts from the teachers and some of the parents."

Gibbs reached into the basket and pulled out a onesie that had "Future Marine" written on the front and smiled.

"Girls can be Marine's too you know." Maggie commented as she watched Gibbs pull out the other onesies and socks that had been gifts.

"There's a pool at work." Gibbs was amazed at the tininess of the clothing. He couldn't remember Kelly ever being that small.

"How much you put in." Maggie kidded her husband.

"Come on. I can influence the pool."

"And you can do that how?" Maggie asked her husband.

Gibbs shifted her so she was sitting in his lap. "That book showed me lots of thing I can do to help with the labor when it comes time."

Maggie put her arms around Gibbs' neck. "Wanna show me some of them?"

Maggie woke up early the next morning, even earlier than Gibbs. The baby was an early riser like its father and once Maggie was up, there was no going back to sleep. She filled the Keurig with water and waited until she heard the upstairs shower turn off and put Gibbs coffee in. Tomorrow was Father's Day but Jackson was due at the house any minute. Jackson, Gibbs and Jamie were going fishing. Maggie stood at the sink, drinking a glass of orange juice and looking out the window at the flowers coming up in the yard.

"Makes a nice picture." Gibbs said as he walked up behind Maggie and wrapped his arms around her.

"The yard does look nice." Maggie agreed.

"No. I meant you standing here, the look on your face. Would make a nice picture." Gibbs kissed her neck.

"As long it was from the neck up. Otherwise you'll need a wide lens."

Gibbs playfully slapped her backside and went to pour his coffee. Freckles started barking at the sound of Jamie's truck in the yard."

"Hi puppy." He petted the dog as he came into the kitchen. "Please tell me you have coffee for me?" Jamie kissed Maggie on the cheek.

Gibbs handed Jamie his cup of coffee and started another one.

"Wow, you must rate Jamie…Gibbs gave up his first coffee of the day to you."

Gibbs and Jamie smiled at each other and said "Semper Fi."

Maggie shook her head. "When are you heading out?"

Gibbs looked at his watch. "Dad should be here in a few minutes. He called when I was upstairs. Said he was just getting some gas and he'd be here shortly."

"Do you think he should have driven all this way alone?"

Gibbs smiled at Maggie. "He's fine. I wouldn't have let him if I didn't think he was."

"How long's Grandpa Jack staying?" Jamie asked.

Gibbs and Maggie found it sweet the way Jamie and Jackson had grown so close. Jamie was close to Maggie's step-father and it was hard when he died not long after James had. James' dad had died before Jamie was born, so this new found 'male club' Jamie had of a step-father, step-grandfather and establishing a relationship with Senior put Jamie over the moon. He was really looking forward to spending Father's Day with all these men in his life.

"About a week. He wants to be back for 4th of July in Stillwater. It's a big deal down there." Gibbs looked out the window as his father pulled up in front.

"Maybe we could take a trip down there, all 4 of us, sometime." Jamie asked.

"Maybe." Gibbs said as he opened the door for his father.

"Well look at you." Jackson hugged Maggie and stepped back to look at her. "You swallowed a beach ball."

"Dad." Gibbs scolded his father.

"I think at least one and a half beach balls." Maggie smiled. "Let me take your bags."

"You'll do no such thing." Jackson handed his bags to Jamie. "Bring those up to the guest room. No wait, let me see that one."

Jackson took one bag back and pulled a gift out of it. "This is for the baby."

"Jackson. Really you shouldn't have."

"Oh I didn't. This is from Betty Hannigan. She started working on it the minute I told her you were expecting."

"She still cooking you dinner?" Gibbs said sarcastically.

"Enough of that son." Jackson warned him as he watched Maggie open the package. First out was a baby quilt made of indigo, teal and green swatches. "I told her your favorite color was indigo and she went from there. That is for when it's cold out."

"It's beautiful." Maggie ran her hand over the stitch work.

"And the other is for when you take the little bugger out in the stroller." Jackson nodded the small afghan made from similar colors.

"This is too much. I need to thank her personally." Maggie picked up the phone.

"You probably don't want to do that." Gibbs told her. "Trust me; you'll still be on the phone when we get back."

Maggie smacked Gibbs on the arm. "That's not nice. What is the number Jackson?"

"You've been warned." Gibbs told her as she dialed the number.

"Betty, I have to go, the boys are leaving now." Maggie said as she came back into the kitchen. "I promise I will. Yes, I have it all written down. I'll talk to you soon."

"Let me guess." Jackson said as he filled the thermoses with coffee. "She has your email, cell phone to text you and did she ask if you were on PInterest?"

"What's Pinterest?" Gibbs asked.

"It's some kind of woman thing. They share things they like. Like pinning them on a bulletin board." Jamie told him.

Gibbs gave his step- son a 'how do you know this look'.

"What, they have some cool cars on it."

"Okay, I'm kicking you all out now." Maggie opened the back door and motioned for them to leave.

Jackson and Jamie were in Jamie's truck – more room than Gibbs' – and Gibbs walked back to where Maggie was standing.

"You sure you're going to be okay today?"

Maggie wrapped her free arm around his waist as she stood in front of him.

"I'm going to water the garden." She showed him the hose in her other hand. "Go to yoga with Ziva and then Tony is taking me food shopping for tomorrow."

"Remember. No heavy lifting." He dipped his head down to kiss her. "And keep it simple. Burgers, dogs, stuff like that."

Maggie stood on her tiptoes and kissed Gibbs. "Tony is overprotective of his god-child to be. Don't worry. We'll be fine."

Gibbs kissed Maggie again earning Jamie's beeping the horn. "God, get a room already you two!"

"I can't believe Senior isn't coming." Maggie said again as she and Tony walked down the aisle of the of Safeway picking out things to eat. "He promised Jamie."

"I know." Tony had said…again.

"Did he really say he was going to Monaco?" Maggie said angrily.

"Monte Carlo Mags."

Maggie put her hand on Tony's arm to stop him. "I'm sorry if I'm taking it out on you. It's not your fault. He's bailing on you too."

"And I had such a cool gift for him."

"Really what?" Maggie started walking again.

"A bottle of his favorite scotch. Guess I can return it." Tony said as he smiled at a young woman pushing a grocery carriage past him.

"Just keep it. You never know when you'll need it." Maggie reached up and grabbed some chips, but a sharp pain in her side stopped her.

"What is it?" Tony panicked. "Are you in labor?"

"No. I'm. Not. In. Labor." Maggie said through gritted teeth. She took a deep breath and the pain subsided. "I have three more months to go."

Tony still looked panicked.

"Tony I'm fine. The baby is just in a weird position. Ow…." Maggie said again, this time the pain was a bit stronger.

"That's it. We're going to the Emergency Room."

"Tony, really I'm…" Maggie didn't finish. This time the room spun and she grabbed for Tony's arm.

"Yeah, we are going. You've got a death grip on my arm." Tony wrapped one arm around Maggie and guided her quickly out of the store.

Gibbs ran into the Emergency room and almost ran a nurse over. Tony had finally called when he was kicked out of the exam room. Maggie forbid him to call Gibbs and interrupt his day. Tony knew better and made the call. If he had to choose between angry Gibbs and angry Maggie, he'd take angry Maggie any day. She wasn't a sharp shooter.

"I'm looking for my wife, Maggie Gibbs. Her brother brought her in."

"Yes Mr. Gibbs, she's in room 4…wait, you can't …." The nurse yelled at Gibbs' retreating form.

"Don't even try ma'am, he's not going to be happy til he sees she's okay." Jackson said as he and Jamie finally caught up.

"Maggie, what is it? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" Gibbs burst into the exam room.

"Gibbs, everything is fine." Maggie tried to tell him but he was busy checking for himself. "I can't believe Tony called you. I asked him not to."

"What?" Gibbs practically yelled at her. "What did the doctor say?"

Maggie grabbed Gibbs' hands to still them. "My child is growing and my uterus is stretching. It's a bit painful."

Tony walked back into the room with the orderly had a wheel chair and Maggie's release papers.

"I want to talk to the doctor." Gibbs demanded.

Tony knew that tone of voice and suggested the orderly get the doctor.

"Babe, stop barking at the orderly. Everything is fine." Maggie tried to sooth her husband.

"I knew I should have stayed home." Gibbs ran his hand over his hair which was already standing on edge.

"I have only been alone for a few hours. Ziva was with me and Tony was with me. I'm perfectly fine."

"I'll believe it when the doctor tells me."

"Then you can believe it." Dr. Richman, who happened to be on call that weekend, told Gibbs.

"Maggie is perfectly fine, the baby is fine. Maggie has some new pictures. The baby is getting big and it's getting cramped in there. That's all."

"What do you want us to do?" Gibbs only felt a small amount of tension leave his body.

Dr. Richman put a hand on his shoulder. "I want you to go home and have a beer and enjoy Father's Day tomorrow. Tonight, I want Maggie to soak in a warm….do you hear me Maggie; warm bath. Not a hot bath, just warm enough to be comfortable. Just soak for a little bit and that should help the muscles. I don't want to give you a prescription for anything…"

"No. No muscle relaxers." Gibbs said sternly. "What else are you going to do?"

"What I am going to do is watch how big the baby gets. Maggie's other child was pre-term due to the placenta previa, but that isn't going to be an issue now. This baby is going to be big. We may want to talk about another C-section if this baby goes over 9 pounds. But that can wait until your next appointment."

"When is that? Should she be on bed rest?" Gibbs stared intently at the doctor, completely ignoring Maggie's trying to get his attention. The orderly came back and helped Maggie from the bed to the wheel chair while Gibbs signed the paperwork. His face was sullen as he walked in front of the wheel chair to Tony's car. Gibbs drove Tony's car home and Tony rode in the back seat. It wasn't lost on him how quiet Gibbs was. The tension in the car was so heavy that as soon as they got home, Tony offered to take Jackson and Jamie out to eat to give Maggie and Gibbs some time alone.

Gibbs walked upstairs and into the master bath while Maggie followed. His quietness towards her was making her upset. She sat on the toilet and toed off her shoes while Gibbs adjusted the temperature of the water. When it was high enough in the tub, Maggie finished undressing and wrapped a towel around her until Gibbs put his hand out to help her get into the bath. He still wasn't making eye contact with her as he held one of her hands and the other arm was wrapped around her waist until she sat down in the luke warm water.

"I'm sorry I ruined your fishing trip." Maggie said as she sat in the warm bath. Gibbs sat on a stool next to the tub, his hands moving a wash cloth over Maggie's stomach to help relax the baby and the muscles.

Gibbs didn't answer.

Maggie put her hand on his. "Look at me Jethro. What are you thinking?"

Gibbs looked up at Maggie and she saw the worry etched in his face.

"I think I ran every light to get to the hospital."

"And you were scared. And you don't like that feeling."

"Hell no I don't like being scared. I don't like that you ended up in the ER. I wish you would remember that you are pregnant and it's a high risk pregnancy and that you need to take it easy." He yelled.

Maggie knew he wasn't angry at her, but he was angry and scared. She stayed quiet for a few minutes. Gibbs put the wash cloth back in the water and rung it out.

"Water's getting cool; you need to get out now." Gibbs stated not giving Maggie an opinion on whether she thought it was cooling off or not. He put his hands out to help her stand and then step out of the tub. She wrapped a towel around her body and tucked it so it wouldn't fall down.

"I can take it from here." Maggie said calmly. Gibbs turned to walk out of the bathroom but Maggie's voice stopped him. "I know you think apologies are a sign of weakness, but I am sorry. Tony did what he thought was right in taking me to the hospital. I'm sorry your day was cut short…."

"Is that what you think I'm upset about? My fishing trip?" Gibbs looked at her astonished.

"I'm sorry that I'm a hormonal bitch and think that you are upset with me right now because we have a big baby growing in my stomach that isn't growing fast enough." Maggie knew the hormone hell was just rearing its ugly head; she could feel the tears coming. "I'm sorry that I refuse to sit all day long and do nothing so that YOU feel I'll be safe. But I'm not going to do that. Please close the door, I want to get dressed and go to bed."

Gibbs stood in the bedroom dumbfounded. Maggie never dressed in private. They didn't have that kind of wall between them. He pulled down her side of the bed and moved her pillows for her before he went downstairs. Tony, Jamie and his father were sitting at the kitchen table.

"We thought take out would be better." Tony said weakly. "Sorry Boss, maybe we should have stayed outside."

Gibbs took a beer from the fridge and drank down half of it in one long gulp.

"Son, you were scared. Nothing wrong with that." Jackson pushed a chair out for Gibbs to sit down on.

"She thinks I'm angry at her."

"You were yelling at each other." Jamie said as he looked down at his plate. He'd never heard his mother and Gibbs yell at each other and it threw him a little.

"She wanted this to be a perfect Father's day for you Gibbs. But Senior cancelled and then I made her go to the hospital and she blames herself for cutting your trip short. She told me not to call, but when do I ever listen to my sister."

"Senior cancelled?" Gibbs repeated.

"Why isn't Grandpa Tony coming?" Jamie was looking forward to seeing him.

"I don't know."

"Well, I'm still here." Jackson dipped a French fry into ketchup. "And I'm a grandfather. You're here son and you're a father. We'll make the best of the day no matter what. I'd enjoy the attention Jamie; this time next year there will be a little one running around.

Tony left an hour later and promised to be back first thing in the morning to pick Jackson up and finish the forgotten food shopping. Gibbs was in the yard waiting for Freckles to finish checking the bushes for buried treasure when Jamie came out the back door.

"Got a second Gibbs?"

"Sure." Gibbs sat down on the back steps next to Jamie.

"I've been pushing this whole Father's day thing at you and I hope I'm not overstepping."

Gibbs looked at Jamie.

"I know you're not my real dad and I'm not the daughter you lost."

"No, you're hairier." Gibbs smirked.

"Seriously." Jamie grinned. "I know that it must have been terrible to lose your daughter and it sucked to lose my father. I just don't want you to be what you don't want to be."

Gibbs looked at Jamie. He had his mother's eyes and personality. Sarcasm was a DiNozzo trait in that family. But Jamie had his father's height and smile.

"It still hurts every day to think she's gone. I wonder what Kelly would have grown up to be." Gibbs put his arm on Jamie's shoulder. "But don't ever think I don't want to be your step-father. I will never try to take his place. He sounded like he was a good man and he'd be proud of who you are now. Just like I am. You don't have to call me Dad, but I am your Dad."

"Do you think it will confuse the baby? I mean I call you Gibbs and he'll call you Dad."

"Everyone thinks it's a he….must be some truth in it." Gibbs wondered out loud. "But you can call me whatever you feel most comfortable. Now get back to base. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jamie and Gibbs stood up and hugged each other. Gibbs called Freckles in and locked the back door. He walked up the stairs to the bedroom. He and Maggie had a few rules of their own. One was they were never to sleep in separate beds because they were angry with each other. Gibbs often slept in the basement or on a couch when there was an issue in his past marriages. Maggie put her foot down from the start. Even if a case was driving him insane, he had to come to bed with her. Staying all night at the office was different. But as long as they were under the same roof, they slept in the same bed.

He opened and closed the bedroom door as quietly as he could. Maggie had forgotten to turn on the night light in the bathroom. Gibbs took care of that, stripped down to his boxers and put on a new tee shirt. The one he'd had on all day smelled like fish. He can't believe no one said anything. Tossing it in the laundry hamper he walked into the bedroom and slipped into his side of the bed. Maggie was on her side facing away from him. He spooned his body behind hers, resting his hand on her belly. Rising up on his arm he whispered in her ear. "I love you Maggie."

Maggie sleepily and pulled his arm around to her front and snuggled into his embrace. "I love you too."

"I'm not mad at you." He said softly into her hair. "I was scared I was going to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere. I can't waddle that fast." She laughed and then yawned, sleep pulling her back down.

Gibbs kissed the top of her head and fell asleep with his hand resting on her belly feeling the baby kicking at his hand.

June led into July which led into August. Maggie settled into a nice little rhythm. Gibbs convinced her to stop getting up with him at 5 in the morning.

"There'll be plenty of those mornings coming. Enjoy sleeping in while you can." He told her.

"You always said sleep was overrated." She reminded him.

"Yeah, remind me of that when we have a newborn."

So Maggie took to sleeping in until 7am. Any later than that and she felt lazy. Her mornings included swimming at the local Y. Then she'd stop at the local farmer's market to pick up something for either lunch or dinner depending on Gibbs' work schedule. She'd take a nap in the early afternoon and then spend time working on the baby's room. They'd chosen a warm yellow color to paint the walls and used Betty Hannigan's quilt to base the rest of the colors in the room. Nothing to frilly and nothing to boyish. Maggie found a bunny dressed in combat fatigues and reminded Gibbs that a woman could be a Marine too. She didn't feel a rush to have the room done in a week. Maggie found things here and there that she liked for a baby's room. Gibbs refinished a rocking chair she found in a second hand store; Maggie made cushions for the rocking chair and window seat in the baby's room. Jamie even pitched in and painted wooden frames that had pictures of family members, both blood and otherwise. The only thing Gibbs wouldn't let her buy yet was a crib. He wouldn't explain, but the fact he wouldn't let Maggie in the garage had more to do with any chemicals that were harmful for the baby. Gibbs had found a cradle on his own in a second hand store and was working on completely stripping it down, taking it apart and refinishing it before he put it back together.

"Sooner or later we have to start working on names." Maggie commented to Gibbs one Saturday night as they sat out enjoying a warm summer night.

"Okay, whattya got?"

Maggie laughed. Of course he'd make her go first.

"Well I don't like Jr's."

"Jamie's not a junior?"

"No, different middle name. You're already named for someone, unless you have your heart set on Leroy Jr."

"Nope."

"Okay, how about using any of the grandfathers' names."

"Nah." Gibbs shook his head. "I was thinking about the name Frank."

"After Amira's grandfather? Your friend Mike Franks?"

Gibbs nodded his head. "But not Francis. I don't like that name."

"What about Franklin and call him Frank. Franklin kind of goes along the lines of Leroy and Jethro. Throwback names."

"Franklin what for a middle name?" Gibbs wondered.

"What about Franklin Michael? Turn Franks name around."

Gibbs nodded; that could work.

"And for a girl?" Maggie asked him.

"My mom's name was Ann. We could combine the grandmothers' names."

"Ann Elizabeth Gibbs. That works.

Maggie put her hands on her belly. "Okay baby, what do you think of the names Ann and Franklin? One kick for yes, two for no." The baby actually did give one nudge and the name game was settled.

The beginning of September was hard on Maggie. Not only was she beyond ready to have the baby, it was the first September in a long time that she hadn't gotten her classroom ready. She missed the hubbub of the first weeks of school; but the switch off was she would have a little one here that needed her even more. She was restless too. The baby was pretty much in position and no matter what position Maggie was in, she wasn't comfortable. Not to mention, the pressure on her bladder. The baby was right on top of her bladder and if she even had a glass of water she had to use the bathroom. So Maggie spent her days sitting on the porch reading baby books and magazines. The case that the team was on kept Gibbs at the office late most nights lately. Maggie began to worry the baby would come and he would be away from her and not make the hospital in time.

"Due date must be getting close." Director Vance said to Gibbs as they stood side by side in MTAC watching surveillance tapes on the big screen.

"Yup." Gibbs gave his normal one word response when he was in work mode.

"You sure you don't want to give the lead to DiNozzo and step out?"

Gibbs turned to look at the Director.

"Is that what you want me to do Leon?" Gibbs answered sharply.

"Nope." Vance echoed Gibbs' earlier tone.

"Then I won't." Gibbs turned his attention back to the screen. The truth was, he'd rather be home with Maggie, but the doctor said it could still be more than a week before Maggie went into labor.

"Just say the word." Vance added and Gibbs nodded.

Jackson arrived the day before Maggie's due date. This time he took the bus up and Jamie brought him to the house.

"I could have picked you up at the bus station." Maggie told him.

"You aren't supposed to be driving."

"Said who?" Maggie paused as she put away some of the food Betty Hannigan had sent with Jackson.

"Jethro told me you weren't driving."

Maggie swore under her breath.

"But I'm guessing that is what he'd like, not what is true." Jackson concluded by the look on his daughter in law's face.

"If he had his way, I'd be in the hospital now waiting."

"Could be worse you know. You are stuck with me here all day."

Maggie kissed Jackson on the cheek. "No, worse would be stuck with Senior."

"Back to calling him that again are we?"

"Jackson, he bailed on Father's Day, I get an odd email or text. Tony barely gets more than that. I don't know, maybe being a grandfather again scares him at his age."

"He's younger than me." Jackson commented. "And it doesn't me one bit."

"I don't know. I just thought he'd changed after Christmas." Maggie sat down at the kitchen table and picked at the napkin in front of her.

"Give him time." Jackson patted her hand. "Now, let's dig into this pie Betty made. Damn near killed me to not eat it on the bus."

Maggie was now two days late. Gibbs needed one more day to close this case and then he was handing off all major cases to another team until Maggie had the baby.

"I have a two day old child in my stomach." Maggie told Gibbs as he dressed for work. "Do you have any idea what that feels like?"

Gibbs sat on the side of the bed as he put his shoes on and looked over his shoulder at her.

"No."

"It's not right. That's what it is." Maggie looked down at her belly. "Hello, time to come out now. The world is waiting to meet you."

Gibbs leaned back and stretched out in front of where Maggie sat in the middle of the bed. He put his hand on her belly.

"Stay in for one more day please. Daddy needs one more day and when the dirt bag is caught, you can come out. Uncle Tony, Uncle McGee, Aunt Ziva, Uncle Ducky and Aunt Abby are working like crazy to get this guy. One more day and then you can come out okay?" Gibbs said and kissed her belly.

Maggie leaned back against the mound of pillows behind her.

"Easy for you to say. You won't be passing a bowling ball through your vagina."

"I don't have one of those." Gibbs reminded Maggie as he tucked in his shirt and did up his belt. "You sure you're going to be okay today?"

"Yes I'm sure Gibbs, now go to work and take care of that dirt bag so you can stop worrying."

"I'm not worried."

"No, I am. I don't want Jackson to be my labor coach. I want you in the room with me."

Gibbs kissed her again. "I'll do my best."

Maggie wasn't sure at first. The feeling was … weird. She thought maybe she had indigestion. But that would have been higher up in her stomach. She'd never had contractions with Jamie and even if she did, that was so long ago. When another one didn't happen, Maggie put it out of her mind and picked up the hose to finish watering the plants in the back yard.

"Baby, you better listen to your Daddy and stay in until he can be here." Maggie rubbed her belly. "I don't want him to miss any of this."

Gibbs called at dinner time and asked how Maggie was doing. He was on his way with Tony and Ziva to search one of the Navy ships.

"I may be there all night." Gibbs told her. "Are you feeling anything yet?"

Maggie decided not to lie. "A random contraction here and there. I called the doctor and she said I still have time."

"Damn it. I knew it. I'm calling …."

"No one." Maggie cut Gibbs off. "If you're not back, I can call an ambulance."

"The hell you will."

Jackson saw the look on Maggie's face and took the phone from her. "Son, she'll be fine. Now get off the phone and finish your damned case."

During late afternoon the weather took a sharp turn. The warm day turned cool as dark clouds began to shut out the sun.

"Looks like one hell of a storm brewing." Jackson commented as he and Maggie stood on the back porch. Maggie didn't answer as she felt the contraction hit again. She prayed the storm would pass before the baby came. The first rumble of thunder told her that wasn't going to happen.

Gibbs stood on the command bridge watching the lightning dance on the water. The storm had come in quick and knocked out the power in most of the state.

"Have you talked to Maggie?" Tony asked as he joined Gibbs on the bridge.

Gibbs nodded his head.

"Are things good?" Tony worried. "Any contractions?"

Gibbs flipped open his phone; but there was no service. "Fucking hell."

*Ten PM*

Maggie felt the pain again. This time it was stronger and felt like an elastic band stretching and pulling back into shape. She picked up her iPhone and tapped on the app McGee found for her to track her contractions. She timed from the end of the last one to the end of the next one. Still too far apart to worry anyone. The power had gone out and now she was worried. Cell reception was out, but the land line still worked. She called the emergency line for Dr. Richman and waited for her to call back.

"Just wait til Daddy gets here. Please." Maggie rubbed her belly.

*Midnight*

"Something wrong Boss?" Tony asked Gibbs who seemed lost in a thought.

"Gut feeling." Gibbs murmured.

"We have the dirt bag. We just need…"

"Maggie's in labor."

"What? How do you know?" Tony asked. "Cell service back yet?"

"Gut." Gibbs flipped open his phone but got no reception.

"Jackson." Maggie shook Jackson's shoulder as he slept on the couch. "Jackson." She said a little louder when he didn't get up.

"What….." he said groggily and tried to get his bearings as to where he was. He looked at Maggie standing there with her hand on her back, her forehead pinched.

"No." he deadpanned.

"Fraid so. My water broke. I need you to take me to the hospital."

*5:00 A.M.*

"You have to be kidding me." Gibbs slammed the dashboard with his fists.

"There is nothing I can do Gibbs. The road was shut down." Ziva was exasperated too. "The tractor trailer butter knifed in the storm."

"Jack knifed." Tony said from the backseat. Ziva told Gibbs she wasn't letting him drive. When they got off the ship, Gibbs tried to call home again, but cell service was still out. Gibbs was at a loss, there were no land lines close and it would take too long to drive home.

"Find. Another. Way." Gibbs spit out and checked his phone again. Tony sensed Gibbs' growing aggravation.

"I'll try again Boss." He dialed Maggie's number and nothing went through. Hoping for a lucky break, he restarted his phone and dialed Jackson…and got through. Gibbs turned in the passenger seat and grabbed the phone from Tony.

"She's fine. Being examined right now." Jackson told Gibbs. "I can't go in. Nurses won't let me."

"WHAT! She's in there alone! Hell Ziva, drive faster!" Gibbs yelled. "Dad, see if they will bring your phone to her."

The gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach told him something was wrong with Maggie. He heard the phone being shuffled from person to person until finally someone answered.

"Maggie?" Gibbs yelled into the phone.

"You almost here Gibbs?" Maggie voice was shaken.

"I'm trying to get here as fast as I can. I don't know where the hell all this traffic is coming from."

"Is the doctor in the room with you?"

"She just walked in." Maggie informed him.

"Let me talk to her."

Gibbs heard Maggie pass the phone to the doctor.

"Stuck in traffic huh Gibbs?"

"I'm about ready to get ready and run. How is she?"

"The baby is ready to come out but I'm concerned about Maggie. Her blood pressure is low and I'm going to try to hold off until you get here. But I don't know if I can."

"Doc, I need you to try please. But don't risk Maggie or the baby to wait for me."

That was all Ziva needed to hear and she went into full out Mossad driving mode.

Maggie tried to drift off to sleep but her mind was racing and after a very long ten minutes, Gibbs hadn't arrived yet and Dr. Richman came back into the room.

"What?"

Dr. Richman repositioned the fetal monitor and tried to get a better read. She took a deep breath and stepped up to stand beside Maggie.

"Baby's in distress Maggie. I don't want to wait any longer. I'm having you prepped for surgery."

Maggie was in shock. The nurses came in and like a well-practiced machine had Maggie's hair up in a surgical cap, moved to a gurney and ready for surgery within 10 minutes. Dr. Richman was about to have a nurse call Gibbs when he came rushing into the maternity ward.

"What's going on?" Gibbs asked.

"We're doing a C-section. Baby's in distress. Maggie's not dilated enough to wait for the baby to deliver vaginally. And her blood pressure is very low, I don't want to wait any more."

"Okay. Where is she?"

"We need to get you in greens so you can go into surgery."

Maggie lay on the operating table looking up at the pristine white ceiling. Where was Gibbs? Where was Jackson? She really didn't want to be alone right now. She closed her eyes as another contraction took over. This one was different, this one hurt more.

Gibbs hastily threw on the green scrubs the nurse gave him and made his way to the operating room.

"What's the matter? You wanted the drugs didn't you?"

Maggie opened her eyes at the sound of Gibbs voice.

"You made it."

"Didn't even stop for coffee." He kissed her forehead. "Ready to do this?"

Maggie smiled and nodded. The nurse walked over and had Maggie sit up.

"The easiest way for us to do this is have you lean forward on your husband. Put your head on his shoulder and let your shoulders drop forward. Good, just like that. Now you'll feel the cold of the antiseptic and then I'm going to put the needle in. I'm going to quickly pull you back down onto the table and within a minute you'll be numb from your chest down. Ready?"

Maggie nodded and did as she was told. Within a minute the numbness took over. Gibbs was back at her side, this time he had a surgical hat on and a mask covering his face.

"Okay Maggie, we're ready to start." Dr. Richman told her. "Baby will be out in a few minutes."

Gibbs watched the doctor and her nurses in the mirror tilted so that he and Maggie could see. Maggie's eyes were closed; he knew she was trying to focus on the baby. Gibbs had seen murder victims and bodies in autopsy, but this…this was different. He watched as the doctor cut through the skin and tissue to reach the baby. Watching the doctor perform a C-section was giving new meaning to the saying knowing someone inside and out.

Maggie was focusing all her energy on the baby. Gibbs held her free hand and her other hand had the IV attached to it.

"You're going to feel some pressure now Maggie, we're going in for the baby. Get ready Dad to cut the cord."

Gibbs nodded and squeezed Maggie's hand. He leaned in to her ear and whispered "I love you."

"And here we go….the newest member of the Gibbs family is….a boy."

Maggie felt the tears slide down the side of her face. She finally opened her eyes and looked over at Gibbs. He was staring wide eyed and a shit eating grin on his face as he looked at his son.

"He's amazing." Gibbs looked down at Maggie and kissed her. The nurse lifted him enough for Maggie to see the dark hair and squished face. He opened his mouth and let out a solid healthy cry. Just what Maggie was waiting to hear.

"Come on Dad." The nurse had Gibbs follow her to the small table with the heating lamp where the baby was cleaned up and weighed and measured.

"9lbs 8 oz. and 21 inches."

"Wow." Gibbs was amazed that the baby actually fit inside Maggie.

"This is where you cut the cord." The nurse instructed Gibbs.

As Gibbs was cutting the cord, a series of bells and beeps started to sound.

"Maggie. Can you hear me Maggie?" the anesthesiologist asked Maggie.

Gibbs turned in panic. "Doc."

"I was afraid of this." Dr. Richman said as she worked on Maggie. Gibbs saw a number of blood soaked gauze pads and fear set in. "Nurse, I need you to take Mr. Gibbs outside."

"No." Gibbs started to push against the nurse. "I'm staying."

"Gibbs listen to me." The doctor yelled at him. "Go with your son to the nursery and let me do my job here. I can't focus if you're in the room. Now GO and let me do my job!"

Gibbs let himself be pushed out of the room this time and followed the nurse to the nursery; he barely heard what the woman was saying to him. His mind was back in surgery with Maggie.

"Have you decided on a name?" The nurse asked.

"Franklin." Gibbs looked down at his son who was now wrapped in a blanket, blue cap on his head, eyes closed tight to the new world around him.

The nurse matched the bracelets on the baby's wrist to the one on Gibbs' wrist. "Would you like to hold him?"

"I wanted Maggie to hold him first." Gibbs looked down at his son.

"Sir, your wife is in good hands. Dr. Richman is the best. But this little guy;" the nurse picked him up and passed him over to Gibbs. "This little guy needs his dad right now."

Gibbs looked down at his son. Franklins face was round and chubby. He had a little cleft in his chin, much like Jamie did. Gibbs slipped the blue cap off the baby's head and placed a kiss on the dark spattering of hair.

"I can't wait for your Mama to see you." Gibbs kissed his son again. "But right now I have a room full of people who want to know about you." Gibbs handed Franklin back to the nurse.

"I'm going to give him a proper bath and let him sleep under the warming lights for a little bit. You go see your family. I'll have the nurse come and fill you in on your wife."

Gibbs stepped outside of the room and leaned heavily against the wall. He hung his head down and looked at the floor. He didn't want to move from that spot. He wanted to stand there until he knew Maggie was okay. He didn't want to go out into the lobby and tell Jamie that one of his worst fears may be coming true. Instead he took a breath, said a silent prayer and walked to the waiting room.

"We should have heard something by now." Jamie paced back and forth in the waiting room.

"We will son, don't worry. I'm sure everything is…" Ducky stopped talking when he saw Gibbs come into the room, his face a mask of worry.

"Gibbs." Jamie walked up to his step-father.

Gibbs looked around the room at the faces all waiting to hear. Abby and Ducky had arrived just after Gibbs got there. Tony and Jackson were waiting, nervousness showing on their face.

"The doctor is working on your mother now. I don't know what is going on." Gibbs told him.

"And the baby?" Jackson asked. "Is it okay?"

"He." Gibbs nodded. "It's a boy Dad. He's perfect."

"Thank God." Abby hugged Gibbs. "I'm sure Maggie will be fine."

"What's the baby's name?" McGee asked.

"Franklin Michael Gibbs." Gibbs told him.

"For Franks. That is a fitting tribute." Ziva commented.

Gibbs stood at the doors that led to where Maggie was still being operated on. When no one came out after 30 minutes, Ducky used his clout to find out what was going on.

"What did they say Duck." Gibbs vision was still on the doors as he listened to Ducky.

"It seems the baby's arm got caught on the placenta as he dropped. There was internal bleeding and they didn't see it until they got him out." Ducky explained. "That is why the baby went into distress and Maggie's blood pressure dropped; the placenta separated from the uterine wall and was competing with the baby with space."

"Here comes the doc now." Tony said as he saw the doors open.

"How is she Doc?" Gibbs needed to know.

"Maggie is fine. She lost a lot of blood. But she'll be fine."

The doctor pulled Gibbs aside and told him a few things in private and said he could see Maggie when she was settled in her room.

"Now would the rest of you like to see the baby? He's in the nursery now."

Maggie came awake slowly. Her body still felt numb from the drugs she was given. She became aware of Gibbs talking. His voice sounded funny. Then she realized he was talking to the baby.

"You have a big family who are dying to meet you. Your Aunt Abby wants to hold you first, but I told them all no one gets to hold you before your Mom does."

"Then maybe it's time for Daddy to give him to me."

Gibbs gently put the baby back in the basinet and sat down next to Maggie on the bed.

"You scared the hell out of me." He kissed her forehead.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to." Maggie was looking at the bundle in the clear basinet. "Are you going to let me hold him?"

"Let's prop you up a bit." Gibbs took the bed control and lifted the top of the bed so that Maggie was in a better position. "Any pain?"

Maggie winced a little as she moved up on the pillows.

"Don't push it. Take it easy." Gibbs told his wife.

"If you don't let me hold my son Gibbs."

Gibbs moved a pillow on to her lap to help support the baby and then picked him up.

"Franklin, I'd like you to meet your Mom."

Gibbs placed the baby in Maggie's arms. He watched as her face lit up and tears filled her eyes.

"He's perfect." Gibbs ran his finger over his son's little clenched fist. "Ten fingers, ten toes and one important body part."

"Such a guy thing to say." Maggie teased Gibbs. "He has that chin thing like Jamie."

Maggie leaned in and inhaled the baby's scent. "God, someone should bottle that smell and sell it."

"Don't say that to Abby. She will try."

"Have they seen him yet?" Maggie asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "Only through the window at the nursery."

"Not even your dad?"

"He wanted to wait until you've had some time with him."

Maggie and Gibbs cooed and kissed the baby. When Franklin woke up, Maggie had Gibbs feed him. She was amazed at what a pro he was at feeding and changing diapers.

"Did Dr. Richman tell you what happened?"

Gibbs filled Maggie in the best he could. They were able to stop the bleeding and keep everything intact.

"I think maybe I should get my tubes tied." Maggie told Gibbs. "Unless you want to try for another child?"

Gibbs put his hand on the side of Maggie's face. She leaned into his touch as he ran his thumb back and forth over her cheek. "Nah. I don't think I can go through this again. I was scared I lost you."

By night time, Maggie's room was filled with flowers and balloons and stuffed animals. Abby and Ziva promised to have all the photo's they took in an album before Maggie got home. There were pictures with just the Gibbs men – including Jamie - ; pictures of Jackson and Franklin, of Tony with just Franklin and with Franklin and Jamie. Pictures of the baby with his godparents alone and together. And Abby's favorite picture, one that would become her screen saver at work, go on Gibbs' desk and in Franklin's room. The black and white image was of Maggie, Gibbs and Franklin at the hospital sitting on the bed. Gibbs was sitting with his arm behind Maggie as he kissed her on the top of the head. Maggie was leaning against Gibbs as she kissed Franklin on the head. Franklin was yawning wide and his little fist was clenching his father's forefinger.


	13. Chapter 13

Gibbs sat at his desk looking down at the drawing Franklin had made for him. Of course Gibbs thought his three year old son was amazingly talented and could tell the picture was of Franklin, Maggie, Gibbs, Freckles and Jamie and a birthday cake flying over their heads. Maggie had labeled the stick figures with "Mommy"; "Daddy", "Me", "Freckles" and "Jamie". And over the birthday cake it said "Happy Birthday Daddy."

Gibbs had found it next to his coffee mug when he got up that morning. Today he was turning 60. He chuckled to himself. The grey hair always threw people off. If he told anyone it was his birthday, they'd have assumed 70. But they were wrong. Gibbs went grey young just like his father had. Of course when he'd be out and about with Franklin, people thought he was the Grandfather. Gibbs was okay with it. He'd gust grin and Franklin would correct them. "That's my Daddy. Not Grampy Jack."

Gibbs looked back at the picture and thought about the past three years. He'd missed a lot of Kelly's early years doing to being deployed. Maggie had been a pro at the whole scheduling thing when Franklin was a baby. They had a system where Gibbs took the earliest feedings in the mornings and Maggie to the latest ones at night. Gibbs had taken two weeks' vacation when Maggie and the baby first came home. Because Maggie had the C-section, she couldn't do any kind of lifting, not even of Franklin out of his cradle. Gibbs loved sitting in the rocking chair and holding Franklin or watching him sleep in the cradle.

_When Gibbs had been home two weeks, he posed the question to Maggie about taking a longer break from work._

_"I have the time built up." He told her as Maggie finished getting ready for bed._

_Maggie slipped in next to Gibbs and snuggled into his shoulder._

_"You have to go back Monday."_

_"Why?" _

_"Gibbs, when Tony came by for dinner last night and you two were talking shop, I could see it in your eyes. The wheels turning."_

_"Tony's doing fine in my place. He did it before when I retired." _

_"A- you didn't retire, you were on a margarita safari Tony said."_

_"I was not…" Gibbs cut in._

_"And B – " Maggie lifted up on her elbow so she could look at Gibbs in the eyes. "I can't take having you home 24/7 right now."_

_"What?" Gibbs look offended. "Why?"_

_Maggie traced her forefinger over Gibbs' stubble covered chin. "I can't have sex for another month until I get the okay from the doctor and watching you with the baby, unshaven and looking sexy as hell to me is doing me in."_

_Gibbs began to smile. _

_"I need a break from looking at you all day. I just had a baby, I look like crap and I want to do things to you that I can't yet."_

_Gibbs pushed Maggie back onto the bed and leaned up over her._

_"A – you don't look like crap; you don't even look like you had a baby." Gibbs gave her a kiss. "And B- I know exactly how long it's been since we had sex and how long it is until we can again. And believe me, you better be rested up for that night."_

_Gibbs did go back to work that following Monday and kept his word. When the doctor gave Maggie the all's clear sign; they were both a little tired and distracted the next day from the night before activities. And Gibbs did miss the work, but now, unless there was no other choice, the team was home at a normal hour. Gibbs loved coming home to see Franklin sitting in his bouncy chair tracking everything with his eyes. Franklin especially loved watching Freckles and the feeling was mutual. One night Maggie went into the baby's room and found Freckles bed lying in the middle of Franklin's room._

_"Hey Gibbs."_

_"In here." Gibbs called from the bedroom, where he was sitting in the middle of the bed changing Franklin's diaper._

_"Did you move the dog bed up into the baby's room?"_

_"Nope."_

_"Hmm. I didn't either, how'd it get there?"_

_Freckles; who was sitting on the floor looked up at Maggie and then back to Gibbs._

_"You don't think…" Maggie looked at the dog. "Nah, she wouldn't have dragged it all the way up here?"_

_Gibbs knew that Freckles was always close by to the baby, watching over him._

_"Put the bed in the hallway and let's see what she does."_

_Maggie took Freckle's bed and put it in the hall and then went back into their bedroom with Gibbs and the baby. After a minute Freckles went out into the hall. Maggie snuck over to the door and watched as Freckles dragged her dog bed back into Franklin's room._

_"I'll be damned." Maggie whispered._

_Gibbs picked up the baby and kissed him on the forehead. "Looks like you have a new roommate."_

_Maggie loved being home with Franklin. Whenever the day was nice, they were outside enjoying the day. Gibbs took another week off over 4__th__ of July to go down to Stillwell and bring Franklin down to where his Grandfather could show him off._

_"Would you ever want to live here again?" Maggie asked Gibbs as they sat on a blanket in the park, Franklin sitting with Jackson having all the older ladies coo over both of them._

_"Nah." Gibbs shook his  
head._

_"Shannon?" Maggie asked. Maggie was comfortable with talking about her and Gibbs was okay with talking and asking about James; especially with Jamie._

_"No. I want Franklin growing up in a bigger place, bigger city. More family around up there."_

_Gibbs was amazed at the amount of gifts Franklin got for his birthday. "He's only one. He doesn't know how to ride a tricycle yet."_

_"But he will before you know it and every little boy needs a Red Rider Tricycle." Ducky told him of his gift._

_And before Gibbs knew it he was changing the baby proofing of the house from a crawling infant to a walking toddler. Gates went up at the bottom and tops of the stairs; the lock on the toilet door was frustrating to Gibbs at first, until Franklin tossed his cell phone into the toilet._

_"You should upgrade to a smart phone." Mike the IT guy at work told him. "I can put baby insurance on it."_

_Gibbs just stared at Mike; who handed Gibbs the reliable flip phone and walked away._

_"Do not let him get to you. He just likes what he likes." Ziva commented as Mike walked by._

_"Yeah well DiNozzo's stash is long gone. Now I have to hunt e-bay to find that damned phone. Someone needs to bring him closer to this century." Mike commented back._

Now here Gibbs sat; 60 years old, a father of a 3 year old, step father of a 28 year old Marine and married for 4 years now. His longest marriage since Shannon. He looked around the bullpen. Ziva was out in the field with McGee. Tony was up in MTAC. Ducky had retired last year and Palmer was now in charge of Autopsy.

"Thinking about my offer?"

Gibbs looked up to see the SecNav standing in front of his desk.

"Maybe it is time Sir." Gibbs stood up. "I need a few more days to think about it."

"Auntie Abby here! Auntie Abby here!" Franklin ran into the kitchen yelling happily as he saw Abby's red car pull up in front of the house.

"Well go open the door for her." Gibbs smiled at his son.

"Can't reach da handle." Franklin told his father. "Help."

"Help what?" Gibbs let his son take his hand and lead him to the door.

"Pweeze."

Gibbs helped Franklin open the door to let Abby in. Franklin launched himself into Abby's arms.

"Auntie Abby!"

"How's my favorite little man?" Abby asked as she carried Franklin into the kitchen. Franklin proceeded to tell Abby about his new friend and his first days at pre-school.

"Can we draw pictures later?" Franklin wanted to know.

"You have to eat dinner and take a bath then you can draw." Gibbs rubbed his son's head.

"Draw first." Franklin scrunched up his little face and stared at his father.

Abby watched the standoff trying not to smile. Franklin stood feet apart, hands on hips staring up at his father. Gibbs copied the stance and two pairs of blue eyes stared at each other. Gibbs made the same face his son was making and Franklin started to smile. Gibbs smiled back and picked his son up.

"Dinner, draw then bath." Gibbs leaned his forehead down to Franklin who put his small hands on his father's cheeks and gave him a kiss.

"Tank you Daddy."

Gibbs gave Franklin a bear hug and put him back down on the ground as Maggie was coming into the kitchen.

"Wow, you look hot." Abby complimented Maggie who had on jeans tucked into high heeled brown boots, a grey sweater and purple scarf.

"I agree." Gibbs stared at his wife. She had cut her hair a little bit shorter recently, but it still reached her shoulders and he loved when she wore it down like she did tonight. "I may have to go change."

Maggie teased Gibbs by making a face at him as she looked over what he had on. He had on a pair of jeans, a dark grey v-neck sweater with his white tee shirt under that.

"You look fine Gibbs. Now, have you decided where you want to go?" Maggie wanted to know.

"Yup." He answered and clipped his cell phone on his belt and took his keys. "Call me if you need us." Gibbs kissed Abby on the cheek. "And don't let Franklin con you into an extra story."

"Awe come on Gibbs, he loves when I read him stories." Abby protested.

"Only one extra." Gibbs gave in.

"Dinner is in the oven, it should be ready in about 30 minutes." Maggie told Abby. "Take the left overs home. I made extra." Maggie made homemade mac and cheese which was Franklin and Abby's favorite.

"Mags, you're too good to me." Abby said as she followed them to the door. "Now stay out late, have fun."

"Your wife must really love you if this is your idea of a romantic dinner." The waitress who served Gibbs his morning coffee told him. "If you were my husband; you'd be sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Aw come on." Gibbs flashed his smile up at her. "I thought you loved me."

The waitress raised her eyebrow and shook her head at Gibbs.

"It's his birthday." Maggie whispered from her side of the booth. "So he got to choose."

"Well why didn't you say so this morning?" The waitress smacked him on the shoulder with her order pad.

Gibbs just shrugged.

"Well let me guess, steak and fries for you." The waitress wrote down Gibbs' pre-marriage usual eat alone order. "Black coffee and water on the side."

Gibbs winked at her. "Make it a beer instead of coffee."

"And for you?" The waitress smiled at Maggie.

"Cheeseburger with onion rings, coke and water on the side."

"Mm hmm a woman who eats. You are a dying breed." The waitress smiled. "Drinks are right on their way."

After the waitress brought the drinks, Maggie leaned forward and looked at her husband.

"Okay, now it's time to tell me what's going on."

"It's my birthday. This is where I wanted to go." Gibbs reached out and put his hand over Maggie's.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I know you better than that. Something has been on your mind. You've been distracted lately."

"Later." Gibbs told her. "I just want to have a nice dinner with my wife. That's all I wanted for my birthday."

Maggie arched her eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well this and whatever you have planned for later." He grinned.

They made small talk about Franklin's first days of pre-school. Gibbs didn't think it was necessary for their son to go yet, but Maggie said that it was good for interaction.

"It's good for him. You saw how much he likes it. It's only two mornings a week. And then next year he'll do three days and then when Kindergarten starts, he'll be ready." Maggie explained.

"I can't even think that far ahead yet." Gibbs took a sip of his beer. "But I guess you're right. You are the teacher in the family and all." Gibbs looked at his wife. "Do you miss it? Teaching full time?"

Maggie shook her head. "Not really. I thought I would at first, but your son keeps me on my toes."

"Oh my son huh?" Gibbs teased.

"He has your mind. He's always thinking. He gets that look, the one where you can almost hear the wheels turning. Like your gut feeling look you get."

"I get a look?"

"You do. Like you're staring at something but your mind is totally someplace else. He sees things and puts them together in his head. The other morning he told me that his friend at school was out sick because he forgot to wash his hands after he peed and got sick." Maggie told him.

"You don't mess with mess." Gibbs nodded.

The waitress came out with their orders and they both started to eat. Gibbs reached over and stole a couple of Maggie's onion rings and gave some of his fries to her. Maggie didn't complain; it was a little ritual of theirs, the only thing Gibbs didn't get was Maggie liking tartar sauce on her fries.

"It's a DiNozzo thing, Tony does it too." Maggie told him. "Jamie even likes and I'll make sure Franklin does."

"My son will not put anything but ketchup on his fries." Gibbs retorted.

After dinner, the waitress brought over a piece of blueberry pie wrapped in a to go box.

"My little boyfriend Franklin loves blueberry pie." She explained. "Bring him home a piece from me."

"I thought I was your boyfriend?" Gibbs teased.

"You were until that little boy came along. He's got my heart now; you just keep bringing him to visit me on Sunday mornings."

"Don't worry, he will." Maggie took the pie as they got up from the booth. "I can't live without your blueberry muffins."

After dinner Maggie and Gibbs drove to Georgetown to walk around and enjoy the warm fall night. They stopped at Georgetown Cupcakes where Gibbs got a Vanilla Birthday cupcake while Maggie got a Key Lime cupcake. They walked down to the waterfront, found an empty bench and sat down to enjoy their cupcakes.

"You've got a little frosting…" Gibbs pointed to the side of Maggie's mouth, but before she could get it with her napkin, he leaned over and kissed it off. "Mm, should have gotten one of those."

"We can stop in on the way back to the truck and get some more if you want." Maggie told him.

They finished their cupcakes and sipped the coffee they got from a vendor on their way to the waterfront. Gibbs put his arm on the back of the bench and Maggie slid over closer to him. They sat there for a few minutes watching the boats in the harbor before Gibbs spoke.

"SecNav came by the office earlier in the week and offered me a new job." Gibbs finally told her.

Maggie turned her body so she could look at him. "What job? Is Leon leaving?"

"No. And I wouldn't take that job for all the money in the world."

"Okay then. What is the job?"

"Train field agents."

"Don't you do that now? I mean like you did with Tony when he came from Baltimore?"

Gibbs made a face. "Not really like that. More like I wouldn't be leading a team anymore. No more field work for me."

"And you'd be okay with that?" Maggie knew her husband loved the field work.

"I could be asked to consult on special cases. But I'd be training field agents in undercover work. More like a teacher."

"But you didn't answer me. Would you be okay stepping away from what you do now?"

Gibbs tucked a strand of Maggie's hair that had blown in her face behind her ear. "I was thinking about retiring."

"Why? You're only 60; you're too young to retire." She knew about the 4 months he'd taken off before; calling it a retirement, but it hadn't been.

"I don't want to miss out on anything with Franklin. My job now doesn't have great hours and let's face it; I'm a dinosaur in it. I do things old school. Maybe it is time to let Tony step up and take the team permanently."

"And SecNav heard about you wanting to do this?"

"Well Leon and I talked and SecNav found out." Gibbs gave a lopsided smile. "Guess neither of them is ready to let me go."

"So when would it happen?"

"I have to tell SecNav by the end of the week. Then as long as we're not in the middle of a case, Tony takes over, McGee becomes Senior Field Agent, Ziva moves up and they'll promote someone up."

"And Abby?"

"Abby will be fine without me there every day. I'll still be at the Navy Yard, so it's not like I'll be far away. But now I know I'll be home for dinner every night. No more middle of the night calls to a crime scene."

"So you want to do this?" Maggie asked.

"I want to do this. I want you to be okay with me doing this." Gibbs told her.

"I'm behind you 100%. If you wanted to not take the job or take the job. I want you to be happy."

"I'm sorry. What did you just say?" Tony looked at Gibbs as they stood in Director Vance's office a few days later."

"I said I'm stepping down at the end of the month. The team will be yours." Gibbs told him again.

"Are you out of your flipping mind?!" Tony yelled at him.

"Now that is not what I expected to hear." Vance said from his desk.


	14. Chapter 14

Tony flew down the stairs to his desk, anger coming off him in waves. McGee and Ziva watched in a stunned silence as Tony grabbed his gun and badge from the draw slammed it shut and stormed to the elevator. They exchanged looks across the bullpen, neither of them knowing what was going on.

Gibbs came down from the director's office ten minutes later. The first thing he noticed was Tony was not there.

"Where's DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Just left a few minutes ago Boss." McGee informed him.

"He seemed upset." Ziva added. "Is everything okay?"

Gibbs looked at Tony's desk. Tony didn't get angry often like he had in the Director's office.

"It's getting late. Go home you two." He told them as he gathered up his own things. His gut was telling him where he was going to find Tony.

"Good kick Franklin." Maggie cheered her son on as he kicked a ball around the back yard. Her son had energy to spare and a good session of running around the backyard before dinner helped to wind that energy down.

"Mama watch me." Franklin would happily call out over and over as his little foot kicked the soccer ball Jamie had given him.

"I'm watching baby. Kick it to me now." Maggie told him. Franklin stuck his tongue out; much like his father did, and concentrated on kicking the ball as hard as he could over to Maggie.

"Good job Franklin."

Maggie looked over to the gate by the driveway to see Tony standing there. Instantly she knew something wasn't right. Tony's smile for Franklin didn't reach his eyes.

"Uncle Tony!" Franklin called out. "Watch dis." Franklin ran over to the ball and kicked it again to where Tony was now standing.

"Come here and give Uncle Tony a hug."

Franklin ran over and threw his arms around his uncle's neck. "You wanna play?"

Tony zipped up Franklin's sweatshirt and tapped the brim of his baseball hat. "Maybe later little man. You go over and practice some more. I need to talk to your Mom."

"Okay Uncle Tony." Franklin kicked his ball back over to the middle of the yard.

"Tony? What's wrong?" Maggie asked when Tony stepped in front of her. She could tell from his body language something was wrong.

"You wanna tell me why Gibbs is leaving?" He asked through clenched teeth.

Maggie guessed Tony didn't take well to the news.

"It was his choice." Maggie felt a chill that didn't come from the autumn air and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Was it?" Tony's eyebrow arched up. "Or was it yours?"

Maggie was astonished. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Is this your idea for Gibbs to step down?"

"What the hell are you talking about Tony?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Tony yelled causing Franklin to look over at his mother.

"You keep your voice down." Maggie warned him.

"Or what? What else can you do?" Tony jammed his hands into his pockets. "Since the moment you and Gibbs hooked up, it's all gone to hell."

"Tony, I have no idea what you're talking about. Gibbs made this decision on his own."

"Did he really? Ever since you've gotten here, you've managed to screw things up for me. You had it all in Boston, but you came down here and now my life is turned upside down."

Maggie's mouth opened and closed. Where was this coming from?

"You move down here, seduce Gibbs, end up getting him to marry you and then you have his kid."

"Tony. You're angry and you don't know what you're saying." Maggie stepped up closer to her brother so they were barely inches apart.

Gibbs knew he was right to break the speed limit to get home when he saw Tony's car parked in front of the house. He could hear the dog barking in the back yard and Franklin's voice. Maggie would never let Franklin out alone, so he walked around back.

"Oh don't I?" Tony got even closer to Maggie. "You show up and fucked up everything up. You couldn't just let me be happy? You have to take it all away from me."

"Tony. What the hell are you talking about?"

"DiNozzo, you need to calm down." Gibbs warned when he approached Maggie and Tony. "You will not raise your voice to my wife or scare my son."

Tony turned to face Gibbs; he stared at his Boss and gritted his teeth. "I'm talking to my sister."

Gibbs squared his shoulders prepared to knock Tony on his ass if he didn't back down.

"Daddy?" Franklin carefully approached the adults he loved who looked very angry with each other.

Gibbs looked away from Tony and softened his expression as he picked Franklin up and kissed him.

"Why are Mommy and Uncle Tony yelling?"

"We're just talking loud sweetie." Maggie told her son. "Why don't you go take Daddy inside and show him what you made in school today?" Maggie nodded at Gibbs. "I want to talk to Uncle Tony alone."

Gibbs looked back at Tony and gave him a warning stare letting him know he was close to crossing the line. He took Franklin inside and watched from the kitchen window.

"Tony, what is this really about? You've …" Maggie began and Tony cut her off.

"You took it all away from me. Gibbs has changed, work is changing and even Dad doesn't come around all because of you. You couldn't let me have what was mine. My life was perfect and then you came down here and couldn't keep your legs together."

Maggie reacted without thinking. Gibbs was shocked to see Maggie reach out and slap her brother. He'd seen Maggie get upset, but never lose her temper like that. He took a step towards the door and stopped.

"I don't know who you are right now. But you are NOT my brother. Leave." Maggie said as evenly as she could.

Tony could feel the sting on his cheek. He knew he deserved it. He'd just called his sister a slut. He wanted to take his anger out on Maggie. If she hadn't come down to DC, then things wouldn't have to change. He turned on his heel and walked out of the yard.

Gibbs started down the back stairs and towards Tony's retreating form; but Maggie stopped him.

"Don't." Maggie said as the tears pooled in her eyes. "Let him go."

Gibbs put his hand behind Maggie's head and made her look up at him. "What did he say?"

Maggie shook her head. "He's angry."

"Then he should take it out on me." Gibbs looked up to see the headlights on Tony's car moving down the street.

"Why'd you hit him?"

Maggie knew if she told Gibbs what Tony had said to her, Gibbs would tear out after him. But Maggie had known Tony all his life. This was something more. Maggie had to let him cool off first. She shook her head and walked away from Gibbs. Now wasn't the time to get into this.

Tony slammed the wall of the elevator as he rode up to his apartment. If Maggie hadn't come down and gotten together with Gibbs, then none of this would be happening. Gibbs wouldn't be leaving. Tony wouldn't be made team leader. This was everything he'd wanted once and now he wanted things to stay the same. And after the little anger trip he'd just had with Maggie…he wondered if her hand print was still on his face. He was just putting the key in the door when it flung open.

"I was wondering where you were…." Ziva looked up at him. "What happened to your face?" she gingerly touched the red mark on his cheek as Tony stepped into his apartment.

"I think I just got myself fired." Tony bent down and wrapped his arms around Ziva.

"Hey bud, one more carrot." Gibbs pointed at the small orange square on Franklin's plate. Franklin picked up the carrot with his fingers and popped it in his mouth.

"See." Franklin opened his mouth and showed his father that he had it in his mouth.

"Now chew that and eat three more and we can go work on the boat." Gibbs leaned over and mussed up his son's hair.

"Mommy help?" Franklin asked his father.

"Mommy has to eat her carrots too. And some of her chicken." Gibbs noticed Maggie wasn't eating her food; she was just pushing it around her plate.

"Thwee bites Mommy." Franklin told her as he popped another carrot in his mouth.

"Three bites munchkin." Maggie speared a piece of chicken with her fork and put it in her mouth. "Daddy makes good chicken."

"I helped too." Franklin told his mother. "I put the …" Franklin screwed up his face as he tried to remember what he put on the chicken. "What I put on it Daddy?"

"You put the seasonings on." Gibbs told his son.

"Daddy, chew before talking."

Maggie hid a smile behind her napkin. Like father like son she thought.

"All done." Franklin picked up his little plastic plate with Thomas the Tank Engine on it and showed his parents he had finished all his carrots. "Can we go work on the boat now?"

"Go get the wipes to wash your hands and let Daddy finish his dinner." Maggie told Franklin as he climbed down from his chair.

"K." Franklin answered and walked off to the downstairs bathroom.

"You want to tell me what Tony said to you?" Gibbs asked as he ate the last of his carrots.

Maggie shook her head and took a sip of her water. "Not now. Maybe later. You promised you'd take Franklin out to work on the boat. After he's in bed." Maggie promised him.

Maggie cleaned up after dinner and walked out to the garage. Well garage is what they called it, but it was more like a garage on steroids. She could hear Gibbs and Franklin talking.

"Now move it like this."

Maggie watched from the door as Gibbs guided Franklin's hand over the wood with the sand paper. She wished she had brought her camera with her. For Franklin's birthday Gibbs had gotten him his own miniature tool belt, just like Gibbs'. There they stood; father and son, both in jeans, long sleeved tee shirts and work boots. Franklin insisted d on having ones like his father so they could work on the boat. Maggie knew about the other boats Gibbs had built in the past and the one he finished and gave to Amira; but seeing him smiling like he was as he taught his son to use hand tools and building a boat together; she could understand why he wanted to step down at work.

"Okay munchkin, time to get ready for bed." Maggie walked over to them.

"Awww Mommy." Franklin started to protest; but Gibbs picked him up and stood him on the stool and started to brush the dust from the sand paper off him.

"Bath time buddy." Gibbs took the tool belt off Franklin and put it on the bench. "Kiss please." Gibbs said to his son who made a fish face and kissed his father.

"Now you kiss Mommy." Franklin told his father and Gibbs leaned in to kiss Maggie.

"Gwoup hug." Franklin threw his arms around his parents' necks and hugged them tight. Gibbs grabbed Maggie and Franklin and pulled them in and made a bear growling noise and squeezed them.

"My goodness." Maggie smiled. "Group hugs and kisses from my favorite guys! How lucky can I get?"

Gibbs reached out and patted Maggie's backside and winked at her. She smiled and shook her head as she brought Franklin down from the stool and took his hand.

"I'll be up to read your story in a few minutes." Gibbs told his son and watched Maggie and Franklin walk across the back yard.

Gibbs finished reading the last sentence on the page and looked down to see his son fast asleep. He pulled the blanket up over Franklin's shoulders, made sure that Bear the stuffed bear in a Marine uniform Jamie gave him was tucked in Franklin's arms before securing the bed rails up on the side. Once all was as it should be, he kissed his son on the head and left the bedroom. He closed the door and made sure he took the monitor downstairs with him. Maggie was down in the kitchen folding laundry at the table. Gibbs walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his nose in her neck.

"You smell good." He nuzzled her neck.

"You must smell the dryer sheets." She told him as she finished folding the towels.

Gibbs' hands slipped under her shirt to her belly and rested there as he continued trying to distract her from folding laundry. Maggie reached her hand up and stroked his cheek. "You trying to distract me from laundry?"

"Maybe." He smirked and stepped back so he could turn Maggie around to face him.

"Maybe I just want to kiss my wife." He said as he proceeded to kiss her. Maggie forgot about the laundry and wrapped her arms around Gibbs' neck. For a few minutes, while they stood there kissing in the kitchen, she forgot about the laundry and what happened with Tony earlier in the night which was what Gibbs was trying to do.

"Tony, you cannot let this stay like it is." Ziva was sitting on the couch next to Tony. "You have to call Maggie and apologize."

"It's not that simple Ziva." Tony leaned forward, elbows on his knees and ran his hands over his face. "I said some things that I didn't mean and when Gibbs finds out…"

"Maybe she will not tell Gibbs." Ziva commented. "Maybe she knows you were upset."

"No, Gibbs will know." Tony leaned back against the cushions on the couch and let out a breath. "Maggie and Gibbs don't keep secrets from each other."

Ziva lifted Tony's arm up and snuggled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. Too many secrets were running around. Sooner or later they were going to cause problems. She had always hoped later would be later than now.

The kissing session in the kitchen got a little more hot and heavier than they had intended and Maggie was happy the window shades were down or their neighbors would have seen things that neighbors shouldn't see. After they righted their clothes, Gibbs and Maggie sat on the back porch swing, cuddling and listening to the night.

"I suppose you want to know what happened earlier." Maggie finally said.

"Yup." Gibbs answered and waited.

"Tony didn't take the news well did he?"

"You could say that." Gibbs remembered the scene in Leon's office.

"He blames me."

"For what?" Gibbs said astonished.

"He said that everything has changed because I came down here."

Gibbs pulled back and looked down at Maggie. "What?"

Maggie shrugged her shoulders. "He said I came down here, met you, married you, had your son and now you're walking away."

"That's bullshit and he knows that."

"I know he knows that Gibbs, but there has to be more to that. He even blames me for Senior staying away."

"Come on." Gibbs snorted. "That guy keeps his distance because of me. He knows better than to play games with my family."

"I can't speak for what Senior does. But he has been distant with Tony. I don't know why."

"Don't get involved Maggie. Let Tony deal with him." Gibbs gently warned his wife. "But that doesn't explain why you slapped him."

"You were watching?" Maggie was surprised he knew about it.

"I heard it." Gibbs told her. "Why did you slap him?"

Maggie tugged at the hem of Gibbs' shirt. She wasn't going to lie to him.

"Maggie?" Gibbs prodded when she didn't answer right away.

"Tony basically said if I had kept my legs together back then, his life wouldn't be what it is now."

Maggie cringed when she felt Gibbs' body stiffen. She looked up at his face and saw the anger in his eyes. She put her hand on his chest.

"Gibbs."

"I don't care if he is your brother, he called you a…."

"I know what he was saying." Maggie cut him off. "But Gibbs, this is a brother/sister thing. I need to deal with Tony."

Gibbs jaw clenched and unclenched. "I can't allow him to say that to you."

"No. No you can't." Maggie agreed. "But whatever is really upsetting him Gibbs, I need to deal with him. Okay?"

Gibbs didn't answer.

"Gibbs look at me." Maggie put her hands on his face and made him look at her. "Don't bring this to work. Promise me."

Gibbs looked at his wife but couldn't say anything.

"Please. Promise me."

Gibbs finally nodded. "Okay. I promise. But you need to find out because the husband side of me wants to put his ass on the ground. The boss side of me does too, but that side will stay focused."

Tony sat at his desk and waited. For what he wasn't sure. Director Vance had walked by and nodded to him. Maybe he wasn't being fired. Why would he be fired for an argument with his sister? That was stupid. No, he was waiting for Gibbs and to see what would happen.

"Tony, you are too round up." Ziva whispered from her desk.

"Wound up. It's too wound up. And I think I should be." Tony said as he saw Gibbs on the phone stepping off the elevator. The moment of truth was here. Gibbs made eye contact with Tony, and in that second he knew that Gibbs and Maggie had talked. He waited for Gibbs to say something. And he did.

"Grab your gear people. Dead Marine in Anacostia." Gibbs said as he walked by.

"Gibbs seem a little….quieter than normal?" McGee asked Ziva as they walked the perimeter of the crime scene.

"No more than usual." Ziva lied. She knew what was causing Gibbs to be quieter than usual. She kept an eye on Tony and noticed he was keeping his distance from Gibbs.

"Bag and tag DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered without looking in Tony's direction. "McGee with me, Ziva finishes sketching the scene."

McGee followed Gibbs over to interview the witnesses while Palmer and his assistant finished loading the body into the ME Van.

"Has he said anything to you?" Ziva commented as she held open an evidence bag for Tony.

"Not a word. I always thought Maggie was scary when she was mad."

"Why would Maggie be scary?" Ziva signed her initials on the evidence bag.

"Maggie will ignore me; treat me like I'm not even there." Tony stood up.

"You done sketching Ziver?" Gibbs pronounced her name in his usual manner.

"Just about." Ziva told him.

"Just about isn't the same as done." Gibbs handed the truck keys to McGee. "I'm hitching a ride with Palmer."

McGee watched Gibbs' retreating back as he walked to the ME Van.

"That's a first."

"What?" Tony asked McGee as he joined him.

"Gibbs hitching a ride with Palmer."

Tony adjusted his hat as he saw Gibbs get in the back with the body. Gibbs sat on the bench and for a split second looked up and made eye contact with Tony.

Gibbs looked down at the body bag in front of him. He needed some time away from DiNozzo. He'd made a promise to Maggie, but he was finding it hard to keep. Gibbs was an only child so he didn't grow up with sibling issues and when you're in the Corps, well those kinds of family issues were different. Gibbs was fighting with himself. The 'boss' in him knew it should be let alone. This was a family issue and had nothing to do with work. But the 'husband' side; well that side wanted haul off and hit Tony for what he implied. Tony told Maggie she should have kept her legs together. Who the hell says that to their sister! Gibbs slammed his fists down on the bench beside him.

"Everything okay back there Agent Gibbs?" Palmer asked through the small window between the cab and the back.

"Fine." Gibbs spit out.

He went back to thinking about Maggie and Tony. Maggie knew Tony had his faults, but never used them against him. She had Tony's back no matter what he said or did. She was there for him when Senior wasn't. She just about raised Tony. For Tony to say she …. Gibbs didn't even want to finish that sentence. Whatever Maggie was planning on doing, she needed to do it fast.

"And that's the last time you talked to him?" Maggie cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder as she talked to Jamie and stirred the beef stew in the crock pot.

"It is Mom. He e-mailed me about a month ago, I couldn't figure out where he was. He asked about Franklin and liked the pictures I sent him." Jamie said on his end of the phone. "You're not mad I send pictures to him are you?"

"No Jamie, I'm fine with that. I know you and Senior are closer than he and I are. I'm just trying to figure out where he is." Maggie put the lid back down on the crock pot. "Have you talked to your Uncle Tony recently?"

"We went out for dinner the other night." Jamie said and then Maggie heard him cover the phone and speak to someone in the back ground. "Sorry Mom, I'm kind of in the middle of something. Is there anything I should know?"

"Nope. I'll save some stew for you and you can pick it up during the week." Maggie told her son.

"Homemade bread?" Maggie could hear Jamie drooling and laughed.

"What else would I make?" Maggie told him. "Love you."

"Love you too Mom."

Gibbs kept his mind on the case at hand. Something was gnawing at his gut on this one. There was more to it than he could see right now. His gut told him that this case was going to be his last one and it wasn't going to be a slam dunk case. He picked up the phone and called home.

"Let me guess." Maggie recognized Gibbs' office line. "Tough case. Dirt bag won't break under the Gibbs stare and interrogation techniques?" Maggie smiled as she answered the phone.

"More like a tough case. I won't make it for dinner." Gibbs told her.

"Well good thing beef stew tastes better the longer it sits." Maggie told him.

"Homemade bread too?" Gibbs asked.

"I made more than one loaf. Don't worry."

"Mommy I don't feew good." Franklin came into the kitchen and leaned against Maggie's legs.

"Is that Franklin?" Gibbs heard his son's voice.

"Yeah. He's feeling kind of warm." Maggie picked Franklin up and felt his forehead. He was warm.

"I'll be right there." Gibbs told her.

"Gibbs. He's has a little fever. It happens. I'll give him some fever reducer and some juice and he'll be fine. It's been going around his pre-school class. Layla said Amira had it last week. Just a cold. No worries."

Gibbs wanted to be home with Franklin and hold him while he didn't feel good. Read him stories and make him feel better. But Maggie was right. It was a cold most likely, kids get them.

"Okay. Give him a kiss for me and I'll be home as soon as I can. Does he need anything?" Gibbs heard Maggie ask Franklin if he wanted Daddy to bring him anything.

"He wants popsicles." Maggie told him.

"The superhero ones. I know which kind." Gibbs wrote a reminder note for himself. "I'll be home soon. I love you."

"Love you too." Maggie replied.

"Everything okay?" McGee asked. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Franklin's running a fever." Gibbs answered. "I need to get popsicles for him when I go home."

"I'd be happy to do that for you Boss." McGee told Gibbs. "I was going out to pick up dinner for us, it's my turn. You don't live that far away."

"You're not my personal delivery service McGee." Gibbs told the agent.

McGee walked over to stand in front of Gibbs' desk. "Boss. I insist. It's no fun to be sick when you're a kid and if Franklin wants superhero popsicles, then I'm getting them for him."

Gibbs looked up at McGee and cocked his eyebrow. McGee wasn't asking for permission, he was telling Gibbs he was going to do it. McGee had definitely come into his own in the past few years.

"You know the ones?" Gibbs reached into his wallet to pull out some money. McGee put his hand up to stop him.

"My treat boss. The little guy has made some of the best artwork in my apartment."

Gibbs called Maggie to tell her to expect McGee and then went left the office to get his coffee fix. When he came back, he held a cup in each hand and waited for the elevator to open on the ground floor. What he didn't expect was that he'd have to share that elevator ride with Tony who was coming up from autopsy.

Gibbs stepped into the elevator and tuned his back to Tony. It was silent in the small space.

"McGee said Franklin has a fever." Tony started to say.

Gibbs flipped the elevator to stop and turned to face Tony. They stood a foot apart, Gibbs gritted his teeth. "I promised my wife that I would not say anything to you about what happened yesterday."

"Boss. Listen…" Tony wanted to defend himself.

"No. You listen." Gibbs started to lose his calm. "If you EVER insult my wife like that again, I will knock you on your ass. DO YOU HEAR ME!"

"I think the whole building can hear you." Tony was getting angry now.

"WHAT!" Gibbs got in Tony's space now.

"Gibbs, this is between me and Maggie. She's my sister too. This has nothing to do with work."

Gibbs gritted his teeth and was happy there was a cup of coffee in each hand or Tony would be shoved against the wall right now.

"Right here. Right now. In this elevator it's about family. Up there." Gibbs nodded his head upwards. "It's work. You have issues with my stepping down, you deal with me. Got it."

"Got it. Maybe you should remember that too." Tony held Gibbs' stare.

Gibbs turned back and flipped the switch to run the elevator. "That's why you're still standing right now." Gibbs told him.

"I can't send anyone else. It has to be you and David." Director Vance held his ground.

Gibbs took a deep breath and moved his line of vision from the Director to the window that looked out over the Navy Yard. Vance was right. It had to be him to go. DiNozzo needed to run things from this end and McGee's expertise in computers was needed here too. He glanced down at his watch and did some mental calculations.

"Twelve hours." Gibbs commented. "Have the plane ready at Andrews then."

Vance nodded. He knew that the next part, telling the wife that you had to go undercover; that was a conversation he always dreaded having with Jackie.

Gibbs bounded down the stairs knowing the eyes of his team were on him. He walked past Ziva and Tony's desks and sat down at his. He gestured for the three to come to his desk.

"Tony, you'll run the op from here. Ziva and I will fly out of Andrews at 0800 tomorrow morning. McGee you'll take control of things in MTAC."

McGee nodded and went back to his desk.

"I will go get ready and meet you back here at…" Ziva waited for Gibbs to reply.

"0600. I want to go over everything again before we leave." Gibbs told her. "DiNozzo. A moment please." Gibbs got up and walked to the rear elevator.

Tony glanced at Ziva before he followed Gibbs into the elevator. He stepped in and waited for Gibbs to press Abby's level and then stop the elevator. The emergency lights went on and Gibbs turned to Tony.

"Yeah Boss." Tony responded.

Gibbs straightened up and looked at Tony square in the eyes. "Family in here now."

"Okay." Tony acknowledged.

"I'm asking you to stay at the house while I'm gone."

"But…" Tony started. "Maggie…"

"The last time …James went undercover." Gibbs started and stopped.

Tony understood what Gibbs was trying to say. The last time Maggie's husband went undercover; he was killed.

"I get it boss."

"Good. Just stay there at night. I'll explain it to her."

Gibbs turned back to the elevator and flipped the switch. Now to explain this all to Maggie.

Maggie sat in the middle of the bed; watching as Gibbs pulled out his backpack and put what he needed inside of it.

"A week at the longest." Gibbs reassured her for the third time.

"I know Gibbs." Maggie answered.

"Tony'll stay here at night. I don't want you alone."

Gibbs finished packing and put the bag next to the door. He closed the door and went over to where Maggie sat on the bed. There was nothing he could say that would calm her nerves. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her softly. Maggie's arms snuck up around his neck and he leaned into her body, pushing her back against the pillows. Hands slipped under clothes and removed them until there was nothing left between them. They made love without saying a word, their bodies doing all the talking they needed.

Gibbs did not sleep that night. He held his wife's sleeping form spooned against him. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo as he watched the minutes click by on the nightstand clock. No matter what, he would make it home. He was given this second chance at love and family and didn't want to lose it.

Maggie woke the instant she felt Gibbs leave the bed. He kept the light off while he used the bathroom and dressed. Maggie closed her eye when he bent down next to her side of the bed and kissed her. He told her he loved her as he left the bedroom. She heard him stop in Franklin's room and kiss him goodbye. He told Freckles to keep an eye on Franklin. When she heard the kitchen door shut and his truck start, she buried her head in his pillow and cried.

Tony thought about picking up pizza on the way to Gibbs and Maggie's but if memory served him right, when Maggie was upset, she cooked. As he walked up the back stairs, he could smell tomatoes and garlic and knew Maggie was cooking.

"Hello?" Tony called out as he knocked on the kitchen door.

"Uncle Tony!" Franklin ran from the living room into the kitchen and let Tony sweep him up in a bear hug.

"Who's the best nephew ever?" Tony asked Franklin.

"Me!" the little boy yelled out. "Come play trains with me?"

"Let Uncle Tony put his stuff upstairs first Franklin." Maggie told her son as she stirred the sauce in the pot.

"We'll play in a few minutes." Tony ruffled Franklin's hair and watched him walk back to his trains. "I know you're not okay with me staying here." Tony started to say to Maggie but she put her hand up to stop him.

"I can't do this now Tony." Maggie didn't even look up at him. She just stared down at the pot in front of her and kept stirring. "We're having ravioli."

"I love ravioli." Tony commented. "I'll just bring my stuff upstairs and then keep Franklin occupied."

Maggie nodded her head. She wanted answers. Had he heard from Gibbs? Was he able to contact him? But she knew better than to ask. Instead she focused on dinner and keeping things normal for Franklin.

Tony loved spending time with Franklin. The little boy had an amazing imagination for a three year old. As Tony watched him play with his trains, he could see Gibbs in him. He saw Maggie and Jamie too. He even saw some of himself in his nephew. He wondered what a son of his own would be like. He hoped it wouldn't be too long before he'd be a dad himself. But now with Gibbs stepping down and him stepping up to be team leader, would he have the time? Could the next step happen?

Once Franklin was in bed, Tony checked in with McGee in MTAC. No physical contact had been made with Gibbs and Ziva, but their plane was landed and their local contact who had helped to set up the undercover op said Gibbs and Ziva were in place. Tony hung up with McGee and flipped to his contacts. Ziva had become his number one on speed dial. He tapped the image he'd put with the phone number and looked into her brown eyes and said a silent prayer that she'd come home in one piece.

He found Maggie sitting out on the back porch swing. He saw an extra cup of coffee on the table next to the swing.

"That for me?" Tony asked and Maggie nodded.

"Is it poisoned?" Tony tried to lighten the moment.

Maggie looked at her brother.

"Tony, do you really hate me so much that you wish I hadn't come here and hadn't had my son?"

Tony sat down heavily.

"I deserve that."

"Damn right you do. How dare you say what you did to me." Maggie's voice shook with tears and anger.

"Mags, please, let me explain." Tony turned to face his sister.

"I wish you would. Because for the life of me, I don't know what I did to deserve that."

Tony put his cup back down on the table and did the same with Maggie's.

"When Gibbs came back and took over as team leader again, I got the chance to branch out and do special ops for the Director. Did you know I was even offered my own team?"

"In Rota. Yeah I know. Gibbs told me." Maggie explained. "McGee was offered a job in Okinawa too. Gibbs knows all about them."

"Of course he does." Tony sat back in the swing and continued. "I liked not having all the pressure on me. I liked being part of a team. Don't get me wrong, being the leader had its perks too. I mean…"

"Tony, what does that have to do with why you blame me for Gibbs stepping down? For Senior not being around?"

"I was angry and I wanted to take it out on someone who I know would not hold it against me …. Well not hold it against me forever. I'm sorry for what I said to you about …."

"Keeping my legs together I believe you said."

Tony cringed. "Yeah, that was crass for even me."

"Are you that scared of being in charge when Gibbs leaves?"

"No, it's not that." Tony ran his hand through his hair.

"Or are you afraid you'll have to stop seeing Ziva?"

Tony's jaw dropped as his head snapped to look at Maggie. "How?"

Maggie smiled slightly. "I figured it out a long time ago. You started seeing each other after 4th of July this past summer."

Tony nodded. "Does Gibbs…"

"Yeah Gibbs knows. And no, I didn't have to tell him. He figured it out on his own."

"Crap." Tony commented. "We don't know what it is. It just is. I can't explain it." Tony paused. "No wait, if he's known for all these months, why didn't he say something? He's got his rules about stuff like this."

"And some of those rules have good use, but even he knows that you can't always be right. Rule #51."

"51? 51?" Tony questioned out loud. "I don't think I know that one."

"Sometimes – You're wrong."

"Any word?" Tony asked McGee as he came into MTAC.

"Nothing." Director Vance answered from his chair. "All we know is they were set up."

"But by who?" Tony needed to know. "And for what? This was supposed to be an easy in and out job, back Stateside by now."

"I'm going over all the surveillance tapes now. I'm trying to see what I may have missed." McGee told him.

"Try harder McGee." Tony barked.

"McGee, take the tapes down to Abby. Two sets of eyes are better than one." Director Vance told McGee and then turned his attention to Tony. "We'll find them Agent DiNozzo."

Ziva and Gibbs had been in Algeria for 48 hours and their cover had been blown. The job was to find out who was selling stolen US munitions to a local terrorist cell. They had been sold out by their contact and were now being held hostage in an abandoned warehouse. They are tied to chairs facing each other. Gibbs has a cut on his face and dried blood from when he was knocked out. Ziva assesses the situation.

"The last time I was in this position, Tony was across from me and you were on a hill 1000 meters away, with your rifle." Ziva commented.

"Too bad I left it at home." Gibbs smirked.


	15. Chapter 15

"Any idea what this is about?" Ziva asked as she tested the ropes at her wrists.

"Nope." Gibbs tried his ropes and the movement hurt his side, definitely a couple of fractured ribs.

The heavy door opened behind them and two armed men came into the room. Gibbs couldn't see who came with them. But he recognized the voice.

"Hello Special Agent Gibbs. It has been a while has it not?"

Gibbs closed his eyes and smirked. "Javor."

Ziva looked from Gibbs to the man standing behind him.

"Agent Gibbs has poor manners my dear. Let me introduce myself. I am Javor Misic. Agent Gibbs and I go back many years." Javor turned his attention back to Gibbs. "I was sorry to hear of the loss of Agent Shepard. She was a lovely lady."

Gibbs just smirked.

"But you always did have wonderful tastes in your agents." Javor turned his attention back to Ziva. "You just seem to have chosen someone a little too young for you don't you think?"

"Are you sure?" Director Vance asked the person on the other end of the phone. "Thank you."

"They are positive." Tony questioned. "Gibbs and Ziva were kidnapped?"

Vance nodded.

"Do we know by whom?" Tony stared at the grainy image on the screen. He could make out a dark van, two men with automatic rifles. Gibbs and Ziva were being forced into the van.

"That would be by Javor Misic."

Tony and Director Vance turned to see FBI Agent Tobias Fornell walking down the ramp into MTAC.

"You have conformation?" Vance asked as Fornell came to stand next to them and handed Tony a thick folder.

"Yes. Our agents in Algeria have been watching Misic for a few months now. We know he's moving something and weren't sure until Gibbs and David came up in photos sent to us."

Tony looked down at the black and white images in the folder. They were clearer than the satellite images. The pictures showed two men approaching Gibbs and Ziva as they came out of the small airport. Guns were visible and Gibbs and Ziva went apparently without issue into the van.

"Do you think Gibbs knew?" Tony asked as he looked at the pictures.

"Knew how?" Vance asked.

"Gibbs' face. It's as if he knew Misic would be waiting for them at the airport. Almost expected them to be taken." Tony explained.

Vance looked at the images. Tony was right. Gibbs wasn't taken off guard.

"I'll be damned." Vance muttered.

"What do we do now?" Fornell asked the director.

"We?" Tony chimed in. "Since when is this a joint operation?"

Tobias turned to face Tony.

"Gentlemen." Vance interrupted the silent standoff. "FBI is now involved because of the kidnapping of Federal Agents."

Tobias raised an eyebrow and smirked at Tony.

"However, it is still our case. Our agents."

Tony smirked back at Fornell.

"McGee, I need everything you can find for me on Javor Misic and Gibbs' connection with him." Vance told the agent.

"On it Director."

"So Agent Gibbs, I understand you are here to try and stop my little side business." Javor walked behind Gibbs. "You do not like who I sell my weapons too?"

"I do not like that your breathe." Gibbs retorted causing one of the guards to use his rifle butt on the same side of Gibbs' ribs making him grimace in pain.

Ziva lunged forward in her chair and was kicked back by Javor causing her chair to fall over backwards.

"Now Agent David, is this how Gibbs taught you to behave or was it your father, the late Director David?" Javor leered at Ziva.

Ziva bit back a response. Gibbs had warned her on the plane that Javor's men would be waiting and that Javor liked to bait people.

"Don't let him in your head. Once he's in he will take full advantage." Gibbs told her.

"Understood." Ziva replied.

"Do not give him an inch Ziva." Gibbs wanted to make himself clear. "He will use your father against you."

Ziva's eyes widened.

"He'd use anyone we love against us." Gibbs gave a veiled warning about DiNozzo. He knew something was going on, but didn't know what. It hadn't affected the team yet so he chose not to bring it up. Because if it was 'real' and it did go south then Ziva would shoot Tony, of that he had little doubt.

"Even Maggie?" Ziva questioned but Gibbs did not answer her.

Tony sat in his car in Maggie's driveway. He was only coming by to keep appearances the same for Franklin. He stepped out of his car and saw his nephew waving to him from the living room window.

"Uncle Tony. Uncle Tony." Franklin jumped up and down. "Guess what?"

Tony squatted down to Franklin's eye level. "What?"

"Jamie's coming for dinner." Franklin took Tony's hand and led him to the kitchen. "And he's sweeping over."

Tony knew that part. He had called Jamie and asked if he could bunk here for the night.

"And Uncle Tony. I have a girlfriend." Franklin said proudly.

"You have a girlfriend? Do you now?" Tony looked up at Maggie who was clearly distracted. "What's her name?"

"She's Emma and she's 4."

"An older woman." Tony teased his nephew.

"No she's a girl and she likes bugs."

"Well she sounds like my dream girl." Tony looked over at Maggie who was making a salad. "Listen Franklin; go keep a look out for Jamie okay?"

"Okee Dokee Uncle Tony."

Tony waited until Franklin was back at the window before walking over to Maggie. He put his hand on her back and rubbed between her shoulder blades.

"Just tell me Tony. I can feel it. Just tell me."

"Let's wait for Jamie to get here."

Maggie slammed the spoon in her hand down on the counter. "Damnit Tony. I'm not a child."

"Okay. Gibbs and Ziva were taken hostage in Algeria."

"He's alive."

"As far as we know. Yes, they are both still alive."

Maggie nodded. "Okay. What now."

"Mags, I can't. You know that."

Maggie nodded again. "Please don't keep me in the dark."

Tony turned Maggie to face him and hugged her hard. "I won't. I promise."

"And you didn't have to make Jamie come tonight."

Tony stepped back. "I didn't. I thought you did. He called and asked if I was going to be here tonight. Something up?"

"God I hope not."

"DiNozzo in the head?" Fornell asked McGee who was the only person in the bullpen.

"Went to Gibbs' house." McGee said without looking up at him.

"He going to tell Maggie?"

"Dunno. I suppose so."

"You have a problem with me McGee?" Fornell finally asked.

McGee looked up and glared at Fornell. "What I have a problem with is being here alone doing everyone's job. I know Gibbs and Ziva are in trouble and Tony will be right back, but where are your guys? Why isn't Sacks here annoying Tony? Why aren't you up in MTAC trying to use YOUR connections to find Gibbs and Ziva? So to answer your question Agent Fornell, yes I have a problem."

Fornell smirked. He understood why Gibbs thought McGee was ready for his own team.

"I'm here to tell you to get your ass up to MTAC in 30. My agent in the field…Agent Sacks…will be checking in from Algeria."

McGee's mouth opened and closed and said nothing.

Fornell just nodded and walked away.

"Jamie, she likes bugs too." Franklin was jabbering away as he sat on Jamie's lap at the kitchen table.

"Franklin, let your brother eat his meatloaf." Maggie reached out to pull Franklin off of Jamie's lap.

"It's okay Mom. I want to hear all about this girl Emma. I mean she likes bugs, but does she like trains?"

Franklin looked up at his brother's face and crinkled his forehead. "I don't know."

"Maybe you should find out before it gets serious." Tony told Franklin as he finished his mashed potatoes. "Mags, you don't have to cook for everyone." Tony commented about the containers of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans on the counter.

"It keeps my mind occupied." Maggie explained. "Franklin, can you go into the living room. I need to talk to Uncle Tony and Jamie."

The adults waited until Franklin was safely out of the room. Tony filled Jamie in the situation in Algeria as much as he was allowed to share. Maggie would die if she knew that Gibbs may have orchestrated his own capture as part of the plan. When he finished, he took the left overs, kissed Maggie good bye and promised he'd call when he heard anything.

"Mom, you're worried aren't you?" Jamie asked his mother as  
they sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and watching Franklin play in the other room.

"Yes. But I don't want Franklin to know."

"I understand." Jamie took a sip of his coffee. "Has Franklin asked any questions?"

"He wants to know when Gibbs is coming home and if he call, but Tony gives him 'messages' every day like Gibbs has called."

Jamie saw his mom's eyes fill with tears. "Mom. Gibbs is the best at what he does. He's a Marine. He loves you and Franklin and will do everything to make his way back."

"I know." Maggie wiped at the tears and looked at Jamie. "So; tell me what's going on with you."

Jamie stared down into his coffee mug. "I um. I'm seeing someone."

"Really?" Maggie knew that Amanda had been transferred out to California and Jamie was pretty broken up over the end of his first real relationship. "Marine?"

"Nope. Civillian. We were friends for a little bit and then it kind of grew."

Gibbs tried to take as deep as a breath as he could, the pain was bad. The second hit to the ribs most likely broke a rib. It was the middle of the night, neither he nor Ziva were sleeping. They were just biding their time.

"Agent DiNozzo, nice to see you again." Agent Sacks said on his end of the video link.

"Slacks." DiNozzo purposely said Sacks' name wrong.

"Boys." Fornell warned them and turned his attention back to the screen. "Ron, where are we at."

"McGee." Ron said from his side of the screen. McGee nodded and pulled up an aerial map. "This is the location that Gibbs and David are being held. Our man is already in place. As soon as he has the Intel on when the shipment is going out, he'll act."

"You have a man inside? Why did we not know this?" Tony asked. "And don't say need to know. Because those are our people in there and I need to know."

"It was need to know and Gibbs knew. The whole plan hinged on him getting caught. Misic would never take the chance of getting caught unless he knew that he had the chance of taking down an old enemy."

"And that enemy is Gibbs." Tony realized.

"Gibbs was the only bait that would bring Misic out of hiding." Fornell explained and then turned his attention back to the screen. "Sacks."

"I'll be in touch at 0600 your time."

The screen went dark.

"And how is this all going to go down?" Tony asked Fornell as they walked out of MTAC. "Why did it have to be Gibbs?"

"When Gibbs and Shepard were undercover in Serbia, they were involved in a deal with Misic. The deal went down bad, Shepard blew their cover unknowingly."

"She was still green then right?" Tony thought back.

"So they say. Gibbs got arrested in France and she inadvertently tipped Misic off. The deal was stopped but Misic slipped away. We've been looking for him since." Fornell explained.

"And now, Misic wants payback with Gibbs and by stopping Gibbs from stopping the deal…" Tony said out loud.

"Then Misic will show Gibbs who has the upper hand." Fornell finished.

"This has been in the works for a while."

"Not Gibbs involvement. You were supposed to go, but Vance thought Gibbs' history with Misic would sweeten the deal and draw Misic out."

"I hope your right." Tony sat down at his desk.

Maggie kept an eye on the black SUV three cars back. Maybe it was her imagination; maybe not. Franklin was sitting in his car seat babbling on about his day. Maggie made appropriate nods and sounds while trying not to panic. Okay, the SUV may have been there when she got to school to pick up Franklin. Maybe it was another parent who also had a child at the school AND went to the library after. Gibbs' Rule #29 was there was no such thing as coincidence. At the next stop light she picked up her cell phone and looked at the speed dial. If she was wrong, she'd be taking Tony away from finding Gibbs. Abby may be the better choice. She pressed #7 on her speed dial.

"Hey Mags!" Abby's always cheerful voice came on the line.

"Abby, I'm going to say something that may sound crazy." Maggie began. "But I think I'm being followed. Did Tony put a tail on me?"

"No Maggie, not that I know of." Abby put the phone on speaker. "McGee is here with me."

"Maggie, I don't know of any tail on you. Are you on your cell?"

"Yes." Maggie started to get concerned.

"Okay, I've got your coordinates here now." McGee mouthed 'call Tony' to Abby. "Let me see if I can get you on the closest traffic cam. Just keep driving on main roads."

"Tony, Maggie's got someone following her." Abby spit out when Tony picked up his phone.

"What?" Tony was in the bullpen with Fornell and the Director. "I'll be right there." Tony yelled what was going on over his shoulder as he ran for the stairs and took them two at a time as he ran down to the lab.

"Okay Maggie, I'm getting a close up on the plate." McGee was zooming in on the SUV Maggie said had been following her for most of the morning. "Got it."

"Mags." Maggie head Tony's voice.

"Tony, what should I do?"

"Is that Uncle Tony?" Franklin asked from the back seat.

"Yes baby. Uncle Tony say hi."

"I wanna talk to Uncle Tony." Franklin reached his little hand out for the phone.

"Not now baby. In a few minutes."

"Maggie, it's Leon." Vance said as he and Fornell joined the rest in Abby's lab. "I want you to drive to the Navy Yard. Agent Fornell has people who will follow the SUV."

"Okay." Maggie answered. McGee guided her down some main roads until the FBI car was behind the SUV and then gave Maggie the all clear to drive to the Navy Yard.

"Remember how James taught you." Tony told his sister as he watched her GPS signal from her phone move closer to the Navy Yard.

"What did James teach her?" Abby asked.

"James taught her how to spot and avoid a tail. Taught me too. Like to test me when I was in town." Tony explained. "Gibbs isn't the only man who taught me rules."

"Speaking of…"McGee steered the conversation to the elephant in the room.

"We're on that now." Fornell hung up his phone. "The tail isn't ours or yours."

"So Misic." Vance worried this would happen.

"Misic is the one who sent the tail." Tony said angrily.

Agent Dorneget met Maggie at the guard station and introduced himself.

"Mrs. Gibbs, I'm Agent Ned Dorneget, Director Vance asked me to escort you to the office." He nodded to the passenger door. "May I?"

"Please."

Agent Dorneget got into the car and looked back at Franklin.

"Hi."

"My Daddy works here." Franklin smiled at the Agent. "You know my Daddy?"

"Yes I do." The agent answered.

"Is he here?" Franklin asked wide-eyed.

"No baby, he's not home yet." Maggie put on a brave smile. "We're going to have lunch with Uncle Tony and Aunt Abby."

"McGee too? He brought me popsicles." Franklin told Dorneget.

Maggie stepped off the elevator with Agent Dorneget and was greeted by Abby, Tony and Director Vance.

"Hey little man!" Abby reached out and took Franklin from Maggie. "Would you like to come down to my lab and play with my computer?"

"You be good for Auntie Abby, Franklin. Mommy will come down in a little while." She kissed her son and watched Abby step back into the elevator and let Franklin push the buttons.

Maggie turned to her brother and the Director. "Well?"

"Let's go up to my office." Director Vance gestured for her to follow.

"So this Misic is the one who has Gibbs and Ziva." Maggie said as she sat down on the couch in Vance's office. Tony handed her a cup of coffee. She sipped it slowly. "And you believe he is the one following me today?"

"We know it's his men. Fornell has his agents out following them now." Tony told Maggie as Director Vance's phone beeped.

Vance got up and answered the phone.

"Yes." He looked at Tony. "Okay. You'll bring them here? Fine."

"Fornell got them?" Tony asked.

"Yes, they'll be here in 20 minutes."

Vance sat back down in the chair next to the couch. "Fornell and I will do the interrogations."

"Director." Tony started but was stopped by Vance moving his head side to side.

"No DiNozzo. You have enough to do. This one is mine and Fornell's." Vance turned his attention to Maggie. "I want you in a safe house."

"No." Maggie said flat out.

Vance leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I knew you'd say no. Told Fornell as much. So here is the deal. You'll have agents at the house, inside and out."

"Director, I know you mean well and I'm not dumb enough to say no, but how do I explain this all to my son? He's 3. He misses his father and having a stranger in the house…" Maggie stood up and walked over to the windows. She pinched the bridge of her nose to alleviate the pain building in her head.

"You could go down to Stillwell." Tony offered.

"Seriously? Have my 85 year old father in law watch us? Have you hit your head today?"

Vance bit back a smile. Maggie was stubborn, exactly the type of woman he'd expect Gibbs would love.

"He has a rifle." Tony gave her a half smile.

"One we hid the bullets on the last time we were there." Maggie walked back to the couch. "I'll agree to agents outside and one inside as long as I can meet them here. Franklin should meet them first."

Ned stood in the lab watching Franklin play a game with Abby at the computer. Ten minutes ago the Director had called him to let him know he'd have the night shift at the Gibbs house. After he called his boyfriend and cancelled their plans he went down to the lab.

"Nothing to worry about Dorneget," McGee patted him on the shoulder. "At least Maggie will make you an amazing meal."

"Yeah, and it'll be my last if anything happens to them. Gibbs will kill me." Ned loosened his tie.

"I'd worry if I were you to Probie." McGee agreed.

The interrogation with the suspects lead to what Fornell had suspected. He joined Vance and Tony in the bullpen after he had finished with his guy.

"They were told to photograph and send the pictures to cell phone and nothing else. No contact with Maggie and they were not to be spotted." Fornell looked at the plasma screen. There were pictures of the two men in the SUV and one of Misic.

"Well they never counted on Maggie being Maggie. She's been hyper sensitive since Gibbs has been gone."

"Got it." McGee exclaimed.

Tony was too tired to give a smart ass retort and just looked at McGee.

"I've got the GPS of the cell phone that they were to send the pics to."

"Is it moving?" Fornell asked.

"Putting it up now."

The men focused their attention to the blip on the screen and watched as it moved. When the vehicle stopped, McGee sent the intel to FBI Agent Sacks.

Gibbs lifted his head up; his side was bruised from the gun but to the side and a vicious kick from one of the guards. After spending more than 24 hours tied to the chair, they were finally moved to separate cells in the warehouse. Gibbs could see Ziva through the bars in the door. Ziva had been unhurt. Most of Misic's anger had been directed towards Gibbs. The sound of the key in the door got Gibbs' attention. Ziva's door was being unlocked. Misic stood at Gibbs' door and watched as the men pulled Ziva from her cell.

"Do not fear for Agent David, Gibbs. She is being released." Misic looked at Ziva.

"I do not believe you. You will kill me as soon as you have me away from here." Ziva protested.

"No. No I won't. See Agent David, I assumed that you were more to Gibbs than just an agent. Gibbs likes beautiful women and I was going to use you against him. But I have discovered something more important to him."

Gibbs' eyes narrowed on Misic.

"Take her back to the town." Misic commanded his guard.

"But…"

"YOU DARE DEFY ME?" Misic yelled at the man and then the sneer turned to a smile. "Agent David can do nothing to save Gibbs. It will all be over before she is back at the town."

The guard dragged Ziva out to the van and Misic turned back to Gibbs.

"I heard that you have a wife."

Gibbs struggled to stand, but the pain in his side made it hard.

"And a son."

Gibbs staggered to the cell door and charged at it with all the strength that he had.

Misic held up a picture of Maggie holding Franklin's hand as they walked from his school.

"You lay a hand on them and I will kill you."

Misic laughed and walked away holding the picture.

Ziva was thrown into the back of a van. She was aware that only the guard was in the car with her; the guard that took her from the cell. Why wasn't there another guard like before? The guard drove for less than a mile and pulled the van over. Ziva readied her body to attack. She moved onto her back ready to kick out at the driver.

"Don't." The driver said from the front seat. Ziva watched the driver turn and take out his knife. "I'm Agent Timmons. I'm with the FBI." The river told her.

"Why should I believe you?" Ziva shouted.

Timmons moved into the back of the van. "I'm going to take the ties off."

He moved Ziva around so he could cut the ties. Ziva quickly overtook the agent and straddled him, holding his knife at his throat. "Give me one good reason to not kill you."

"In my back pocket. Sat phone. Press dial 146."

Ziva fished the phone out of the man's pocket and kept knife on his throat as she dialed the number."

"Timmons. What is going on?"

Ziva recognized the voice. "Agent Sacks?"

"David? Is that you? Where is Sacks? What is going on?"

Gibbs sat on the floor near the cell door. Misic had dropped the picture on the floor as if to torment Gibbs. He thought that Maggie would be safe. The op was supposed to have gone smoother than it did. Misic would be in custody and he'd be home by now. But somewhere along the line the ball was dropped and Gibbs' worst fears were coming to the surface.

He looked at the picture. Maggie and Franklin were walking out of Franklin's school. Franklin held Maggie with one hand and in his other as his Thomas the Tank Engine lunch box. Gibbs tried not to let any emotion show on his face. He didn't know if he was being watched by a hidden camera. Maggie was smiling down at their son. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, jeans, sneakers and a long sleeved tee shirt. Gibbs closed his eyes; he missed her so much. Anger churned in his gut. This should not have touched his family.

"So that is the plan?" Ziva checked her gun and tucked it into her pants under her shirt.

"Yes. He'll bring Gibbs to the airport and that is when we'll take him down." Sacks confirmed.

"You should have told us about the inside man." Ziva was furious. So much had gone wrong.

"We couldn't. Timmons didn't know about the change in plans until it happened. He didn't know you were being taken at the airport until you arrived at the warehouse."

"And you trust Timmons?"

"With my life." Sacks swore.

Maggie put the last of the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. Franklin was in the living room with Agent Dorneget explaining the trains again and what they do. Maggie let the dog out into the yard and watched for a few minutes. The leaves were beginning to fall from the trees. In another week they would have to rake them up before the first frost. Maggie smiled remembering Gibbs trying to rake the leaves last fall. He made a big pile and then stuck Franklin in the middle. She had brought her camera out and took pictures of the two of them playing in the leaves. She used one of the images of Franklin and Freckles in the leaves as their Christmas card last year.

"Mrs. Gibbs." Agent Dorneget said from behind Maggie and she turned to face him. "I'm going into the office now. The agents are still outside. They'll keep a low profile like you asked, but um…your neighbor. Mr. Blake, he …."

Maggie smiled. "Let me guess. He questioned the agents right?"

"Yeah, he did." Dorneget answered.

"He's a retired Marine. He's pretty fond of Franklin and he and Gibbs talk for hours about their days in the Corps. Gibbs probably mentioned he was going to be out of town and Mr. Blake, or Blackie as we call him, he was keeping an eye out. I'll talk to him later. He'll probably be checking in with the agents. Just let them know he's harmless."

"Thanks Mrs. Gibbs."

"Ned, I told you, Maggie."

"I know, but your husband." Dorneget started to say.

"Scares the crap out of you right?"

Dorneget shrugged his shoulders.

"It's okay. I understand." Maggie handed him lunch in a brown bag.

"Maggie, you don't have to make my lunch."

"Yeah, I do. And tell the agents they can pop in and grab coffee or whatever when their shift changes."

"Remember…" Dorneget started to say.

"To tell them when I'm leaving and to check in with Tony or McGee. I got it."

Gibbs fell into a fitful sleep. He dreamed he was back in his old house. He woke up on his couch, the fire burned out in the fireplace, the house cold. Kicking the blanket off his legs he looked around the living room. It looked exactly like it had before Maggie had come into his life. He got up and yelled for Maggie. He yelled for Franklin. He ran from room to room upstairs and downstairs looking for any sign of them, but it didn't exist. He opened the front door and looked outside. Misic had Maggie and Franklin in front of them and was about to lift a knife to their throats and Gibbs woke up a silent scream stuck in his throat.

Misic stood at the door and looked down at Gibbs. "Do not worry Gibbs, I will take good care of them." Misic nodded at the guard who pulled Gibbs up from the floor and led him out to a van and thrown inside. Misic climbed into the passenger seat and looked back at his old nemesis.

"Well my friend." Misic said sarcastically, "I do hope you had a good insurance plan for your family. Being an NCIS agent could not have paid very well."

Gibbs smirked at Misic. "Probably not as good as your job, but when you're in Gitmo I hope they spend it well."

Misic laughed and clapped his hands. "Ah, such a sense of humor you have Gibbs. Do you really think I will be stopped? You can not think that I allowed Agent David to live did you? Ah, no my friend, I am sure my guard took care of the lovely Agent David." Misic slapped the guard on the shoulder. Gibbs recognized the guard as the one who took Ziva out of the cell. "Tell me Abraham, did Agent David put up a fight?"

The undercover agent gave an evil smile and winked at Misic. "Not at all. Would you like to know where her tattoo is?"

Gibbs knew the guard was lying and in that second knew who the undercover FBI agent was. Ziva had no tattoos and she was still alive.

"Do we have a live feed?" Fornell asked as he stood with Director Vance and Tony in MTAC.

"Live feed in 5." McGee answered from the console.

"Everything is in place?" Vance asked Fornell.

"In place. Sacks and David are on site now, agents are in place and now we wait for Misic to show up."

"The buyers?" Vance wanted to know if they would be expecting any trouble from the buyers Misic was expecting.

"All in custody, our men are at the airstrip in their place."

"We have feed." McGee announced.

Through a grainy feed at the airstrip on one side and a night vision view on the other side of the screen, Fornell, Vance, Tony and McGee could see the airstrip. One Gulf Jetstream was waiting on the tarmac. The plane actually belonged to the FBI and was waiting to airlift the agents out when the job was done.

"We have contact." McGee advised.

The four men watched as a dark van pulled up by the plane. A tall well-dressed man got out of the passenger side.

"Missic." Vance identified the man.

They waited and watched as another man took Gibbs from the back of the van.

"He's alive." Tony said thankfully.

Tony's cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Tony had a habit of forgetting the "no phones in MTAC" rule and looked down at the number.

"Kind of busy here Abs."

"It's important, let me in to MTAC. Fornell will want to see this."

Tony nodded to the agent at the door to let Abby in. She hurried down the stairs to Tony. She handed Director Vance the folder she was carrying.

"We found images of who the phone belonged to. The one the pictures were sent to."

Without actual sound they watched the scene unfold. The undercover agents posing as the buyers greeted Misic on the tarmac. As soon as contact was made and agreements over the price of the product were done, Ziva and Sacks charged the scene.

"FBI. Guns down." Was called out by the agents.

Misic looked around and saw that all guns were pointed at him; including one now held by Gibbs. Misic's eyes widened as Gibbs moved closer, his gun pointing directly at Misic's heart.

"This is how it ends?" Misic taunted Gibbs. "Are you going to kill another man in cold blood who threatened your family?"

"No, this is how it ends."

Gibbs heard the voice behind him and felt the gun barrel at his neck.

"Tell the agents to put down their weapons darling."

Vance looked at the images in front of him and the ones on the screen.

"Helen Madison?" Vance said amazed.

"As in Gibbs' old partner?" Tony tore his eyes away from the screen.

"The one who turned on all of us." Abby nodded her head.

All eyes went back to the screen.

"Tell your agents to back off or my man will kill Agent David."

Gibbs' eyes moved over to where Ziva stood with a deadly looking man holding a knife to her throat. When Gibbs didn't comply right away, Madison stepped in closer to Gibbs.

"Don't think you can win this one darling. I have men watching your house too. I will make sure your wife and son suffer greatly if you do not tell your people to step down and you come with me."

Gibbs gave the order for the FBI to step down. The five people watching the screen in MTAC were astounded until Abby noticed Gibbs' hand.

"He's signing."

"I thought he was having some kind of seizure." Tony commented. "What is he saying?"

Abby watched Gibbs fingers spell out words.

"Abby." Director Vance said sternly.

"Hold on." Abby snapped. "He's saying Maggie and Franklin not safe. Trust me."

Fornell and Vance's phones snapped open and orders were given to agents to check on Maggie and Franklin.

"What does he mean by trust me?" McGee asked.

His question was answered when they watched Gibbs being led off the tarmac and back into Misic's car. Ziva attempted to stop them from taking Gibbs but was hit on the back of the head and knocked out. The feed from the site went down just after that and the computer agents in MTAC began scrambling with McGee to find out what happened.


	16. Chapter 16

_Flashback 1994_

_Gibbs sat at his desk looking at the note Helen had left tucked into his keyboard. He crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash._

_"Problem Probie?" Franks asked as he walked by Gibbs' desk._

_"No Boss. Nothing I can't handle." Gibbs replied._

_"Good. Find Helen and meet me out front." Franks walked away leaving a trail of cigarette smoke in his wake._

_Gibbs realized his mistake the minute he made it. They were undercover as newlyweds while they waited for a Petty Officer who had gone missing after stealing money from a payroll office to show up. The newlywed cover had ben Helen's idea since the only room left at the resort was the Bridal Suite. He should have chosen to sleep on the couch, but he didn't. Too much whiskey and too many arguments on the phone with Diane made the decision to let things go too far with Helen happen. After it was over, he lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. His cell phone rang, Diane's number flashed across the screen. He ignored the call and slipped out of bed and out of the room._

_"Ready Gibbs?" Helen asked as she walked to the desk. "Did you get my note?" _

_Gibbs picked up his pack and walked around his desk past Helen. "Franks is waiting."_

_While at the scene, Gibbs maintained a business as usual attitude; only addressing Helen when he needed to. Franks noticed the tension but left it to his agents to figure out. On the ride back to the office, Gibbs and Helen were alone in the car._

_"You've been very quiet hon." Helen looked over at Gibbs who was driving. He suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned the car off. "Really Gibbs…here? In the middle of the day?" Helen moved closer to Gibbs._

_Gibbs got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He walked to the back of the car and leaned against the trunk. He swore at himself mentally for a few minutes before getting back in the car. He looked over at Helen who was smiling at him._

_"Listen Helen, I shouldn't let what happened happen. It was a mistake."_

_"Don't say that Jethro, it wasn't a mistake." Helen reached for his hand but he pulled it away._

_"It was a mistake." Gibbs started the car and paused. "Diane and I are getting married this weekend."_

Gibbs slowly came back from his dreams of Maggie and Franklin. He tried to open his eyes but they wouldn't cooperate. They felt swollen shut. He managed to open his right eye slightly he was able to see that he was in a small concrete room lying on his side, his hands tied behind his back and a weight on his ankle told him there was some kind of chain there. He closed his eyes again and put all his energy into pushing himself into a sitting position. Pain radiated from everywhere and he swore inwardly as he slowly made his way to an upright position. Once he was upright he took a deep breath and will the pain and nausea back down and assessed his situation.

He was in a small room made of concrete floors and cinderblock walls. There were small windows six feet off the ground and bright sun was shining through them. Gibbs closed his eyes and focused on listening to the sounds from outside trying to figure out where he was. The sound of waves came to him and when he took another deep breath he could smell the salt water. So he'd been moved to a new location. He tried to remember what had happened since the airport, but once he'd been thrown into the car, he was injected with a drug and was knocked out cold. He leaned his head back against the wall and waited to see what Helen Madison, or as she was now known – Madison Helene – was up to now.

Madison looked down at the folder in her lap. She took a sip of her champagne as she looked at the information about Gibbs' wife.

"Margaret "Maggie" DiNozzo Sullivan Gibbs. Age 48." Madison read out loud.

"Married to Detective James Sullivan (deceased 2003) 1993-2003"

"One child Lance Corporal James "Jamie" Sullivan aged 28"

"So Gibbs is a stepfather. Interesting." Madison took another sip of the champagne.

"Married L.J. Gibbs 2013; one child- Franklin Michael aged 3."

Madison stared at the last line. "Franklin Michael aged 3. – So he has a son of his own." Madison dropped the typed sheet and picked up the pictures Misic's men had taken when they were following Gibbs' family. Maggie was 10 years younger than Madison but looked even younger and this made Madison angry. Maggie had shoulder length red hair "Of course it's red, they all had red hair." Madison looked over how Maggie was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a short sleeved shirt. Madison had to admit that Maggie took good care of herself. But it was the picture of Gibbs' son that captured her attention. Franklin Gibbs had his father's blue eyes and dark hair. His haircut was cut very short, almost military like his father's. Madison smiled as she traced her fingers over the boy's face. He could have been their child. Should have been Madison thought angrily and threw the folder and its contents on the floor. She picked up her champagne glass and drained it in one sip as she walked over to the patio's low wall. She should have been Mrs. Gibbs. The Mrs. Gibbs. Not one of the 4 that followed. No one could have loved and taken care of Gibbs the way she could have. She would have made Gibbs forget his first wife and child, the one no one ever knew about, but she did. When she met Misic and saw the range of information she had at his fingertips, she used it to find out everything she could about Gibbs and his life. She kept tabs on him; waiting for the moment he would come back to her.

"And you have." Madison said out loud as she looked over the waves crashing on the beach in the moonlight. "And now I'll finally get to show you how wrong you were about me."

"I still do not think this will work." Ziva said quietly enough so the people around her wouldn't hear but that Tony and McGee could pick up where they were located. She walked through the restaurant and down to the beach.

"It will, have faith." Tony eyed the crowd at the restaurant. The Balcony was a four star restaurant in Georgetown that was reportedly Madison's favorite place to eat. Tony could see why. There were muslin curtains pulled back to let the sea breezes flow through the rooms. Couches were set up around a bar that only served drinks made with rare rums. Tony sipped his lime flavored seltzer water wishing it was a rum mojito as his eyes wandered over to the boat slips near the beach.

"The Lady Hellene just docked, focus everyone." Tony told Ziva and McGee

The Lady Hellene was a 75' Speed Cruiser with her name written in silver across the black stern. The boat was listed to Javor Misic, who obviously named it after Madison. In the documents that McGee was able to locate – with some 'illegal' hacking on his part – Madison Hellene name was on the house on Grand Cayman, the boat, several cars, jewelry and property in Miami.

McGee sat at the opposite side of the bar from Tony, Ziva joined him and they pretended to be a couple on vacation. Tony still smarted over the pairing of the two of them, but he knew now wasn't the time to be petty. Ziva and McGee were only pretending, he had nothing to worry about. Madison Hellene was helped off the boat by one of her body guards and walked gracefully down the dock to the beach. Her walk was practiced, Tony thought as he watched her; she wanted to be noticed and noticed she was.

"I'd like a Seven Fathoms." Madison told the bartender when she sat down next to Tony at the bar.

"Interesting choice of drinks." Tony commented when the rare rum drink was put down in front of her.

Madison turned her head and smiled at Tony.

"Agent DiNozzo, I believe we've never met."

Tony kept the smile on his face. Vance had warned him that sneaking up on Madison would be next to impossible. Madison had kept tabs on Gibbs and most likely would know who was working for him.

"No, but I've heard so much about you." Tony turned his head away from Madison and he sipped his drink. "Like how you are holding Gibbs here on the island."

Madison tipped her head back and laughed.

"I suppose you've come here to rescue him?"

"Or maybe see that he stays gone." Tony lied effortlessly.

"Really? And why would that be Agent DiNozzo….or may I call you Tony?"

Tony turned back to face Madison, the smile on his face was the one he used when he wanted to charm a woman into bed with him.

"You can call me whatever you like."

Ziva groaned at Tony's line. "Does that really work?"

"What?" McGee asked Ziva. "That line? Only for guys like Tony."

"Well Tony, tell me; why do you want Gibbs 'gone'? He is married to your sister."

Tony made a dismissive gesture with his hands.

"My sister is a pain in the ass. She ruined everything when she came to DC. Married Gibbs and made him soft. She even got him to retire."

Madison made a disgusted face. "Jethro can't retire, he is too good of an agent. There aren't any other agents like him."

"You've never worked with me."

Madison brought her focus back to Tony. "Well what if I offer you an exchange?"

"What kind of exchange?"

Madison slid gracefully off the stool and kissed Tony on the lips.

"I'll be in touch." Madison sashayed out of the bar and back to her boat.

"Some things never change Helen." Gibbs commented when the door opened and Madison stepped into the cell he was in.

The mousy woman who he had worked with all those years ago, the one who stuck a knife in his side and left him to die, was no longer there. The woman sitting beside him had hair bleached blonde by a hairdresser and days in the sun, her skin tanned and toned, barely a wrinkle on her face thanks to a plastic surgeon and one who did work in a few other places that were now bigger. But one thing remained the same; the look in her amber eyes, there was no light in those eyes.

Madison motioned for a chair to be brought into the room and she sat down far enough away from Gibbs so that he couldn't reach her. Not she needed to worry, Gibbs' hands were still tied behind him.

"You aren't happy to see me Jethro?"

"Nope." Gibbs replied. "Never happy to see a nut job."

"Didn't think I was a nut job that night we were undercover. No, I think you thought I was a warm body to lose yourself in."

"Nope, didn't think you were a nut job then, not until you stuck a knife in my side and left me to die."

Madison felt the sting of his words. Even in his current battered and confined state he could still hurt her.

"Didn't die." Gibbs said looking directly into her eyes.

"No, you didn't. You went on to make sure I was ruined in the agency."

"Did that all on your own. Look at who you moved on to when you left."

"You jealous that I went from you to your worst enemy? The only man you couldn't catch?"

"You really made me jealous Helen; you teamed up with a real gentleman. How'd you manage to convince him to kidnap me? Does he know what you really want?"

Madison had looked at Gibbs when he was unconscious and down at his hand and saw the simple gold ring on his left hand.

"I don't know Jethro, maybe he liked what he saw in your wife number 5. What was her name..Ah yes, Maggie. Such a cute name."

Gibbs held his emotions in check.

"No comment lover?" Madison smiled at Gibbs. "Well then, maybe your agent was right."

Gibbs looked at Madison.

"Yes, Agent DiNozzo is here and he says he wants you to stay gone. Doesn't think to highly of his sister, I believe he thinks she is a bitch. Yes he called her a bitch. Well maybe I can manage to kill two birds with one stone."

Madison got up and left Gibbs sitting alone in the dark.

Madison walked out onto the balcony of her bedroom; the sun was just coming up. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She never grew tired of the salty air smell.

"You seem content with yourself."

Madison turned to the male voice coming from the table and chair on her balcony.

"I am. After all this time, I will finally get my way." Madison walked over to the table and picked up a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"I wouldn't count my chickens yet luv."

Madison looked down at the bald man with the heavy five o'clock shadow sitting at the table. She plucked the newspaper he was reading off his lap and sat down in its place. She traced her fingers along the contours of his head and along the fine black elastic that held the eye patch over his missing eye.


End file.
